


Vision

by kato_the_perv



Category: Rejseholdet | Unit One
Genre: Child Abuse, Crimes & Criminals, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-26
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-02-06 07:36:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1849801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kato_the_perv/pseuds/kato_the_perv
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fischer and La Cour decide on being flatmates. At first everything looks perfect but on their first day in the apartment, La Cour has a "vision". Now he needs to confront the feelings he never knew he had. Meanwhile they both must also focus on a straining murder case of a young boy. Would they succeed in solving all the mysteries?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that I took some liberty with the plot of "Rejseholdet". The story takes place somewhere in season 3 close to Fischer getting his haircut ('cause I think he looked adorable). I ignore whole Ida plot - I disliked her for some reason and am presuming in this story that Fischer just left his wife and lost custody over the son. I also presumed La Cour in the end left Helen as he was not feeling up to the role of a father. Beside those facts I tried to make the characters believable.
> 
> Of course, I own nothing although Mads cooking in my kitchen would be nice.
> 
> I'm not a native English speaker so I apology for any errors or unnaturally sounding wording.:)

"C'mon, buddy," Fischer was practically begging when they were getting out of the car.

" I don't know, man..." La Cour sighed. "You already owe me a lot of cash."

"That's exactly my point! If we share flat, we would split the rent and I could piece by piece return your money," Fischer lighted a cigarette like he always used to when they arrived at their destination. "Listen, I live in a run-down hotel which is eating away most of the money I make. That's ridiculous!"

Thomas looked at him and knew the man made a point there. However, he was still reluctant when it came to living together with someone. He had a talent for driving people away. He really liked Fischer and didn't want to ruin their friendship.

"You and me are perfect match for flatmates. We both single, screwed up our relationships with women, both have kids and both are policemen working in the same team," Fischer listed with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. "And, of course, I like you."

"Thanks, man, that was touching," Thomas mocked and smiled.

Fischer was right, if they already hadn't driven each other crazy, probably nothing would happen if they live together.

"Alright, alright, you win," La Cour gave up.

Fischer's face suddenly bloomed with joy. He smiled so wide that his fangs were showing.

"Really?" he asked like a child given permission to eat an ice-cream.

"Yeah," Thomas smiled sheepishly as Fischer's enthusiasm was contagious.

Alan gave away a winning shriek sounding like "Yeehee" and with all the force grabbed La Cour by shoulders and gave him a smooch on the cheek. Then he almost run up the stairs to the police station.

"What am I getting myself into?" thought La Cour and still stunned, followed his friend.

Of course, everybody else was already present so they took seats nearest the exit and waited for the chief inspector to start.

"Okay, since everyone is here, I'll start…" said a middle-aged man who was apparently the boss here. The room grew quiet and he continued by showing them some photos on the whiteboard.

"The victim… boy is Michael Price, age 5. Found dead in the ditch near the entry road to the city. A man who found him, erm… John Fry is a common drunk. He fell down the ditch while going back home on feet from drinking party with his buddies. He luckily managed to stop a police car by walking to the middle of the road. Although completely drunk he stuttered about the corpses. The body was on the other side of the town from the nursery where the boy had last been seen. The Prices' house is not far from the nursery. Teachers claim that the boy, since he was 4, walked home alone as his parents worked till late. Apparently, he was given the key to the apartment. He either disappeared walking home or was kidnapped from the house."

"Was there any indication of break-in?" interrupted Ingrid.

"We're checking it. But for now, haven't found anything."

"What about the drunk?" asked IP taking some notes.

"He has fast alibi – been drinking in the pub with lots of people inside. Besides, he's really a harmless guy. We were lucky that he found the body and stopped the police."

"So nobody saw anything suspicious in the nursery?" Fischer asked, his face now stern and focused, so unlike the child-like expression he had worn outside the building. "He was a 5-year-old walking home alone, goddammit!"

"Yeah," the police officer was not comfortable under the scrutinizing gaze of the short-haired man. "We share your concern. The director of the nursery intervened with the parents as soon as she found out about the solitary walks but they assured her they live nearby and no tragedy ever occurred. It was alarming but nothing could be done without the parents cooperation. The teacher says that she always watched the boy until she lost sight of him behind the corner. After that he needed to walk straight past a few houses and there was his house. She was also concerned but had other children to take care of. No witnesses so far."

"How long was the boy missing before you found the body?" asked La Cour focusing all attention on him.

"Not even a day…" the constable shook his head in disbelief. "He didn't come home from the nursery about 4 p.m., but since the parents were working late, they informed us only at 9 p.m. We started our search by interviewing people and followed the boy's usual path. John Fry found the body at 5 a.m."

"Okay, I think we all know what to do," Ingrid stood up and took the floor. "Fischer is responsible for interviews, La Cour – crime scene, Gaby – reports and IP…"

"The rest," finished the older man with a smile like he always used to.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a tough day for everyone. Child cases were always the worst, especially when it came to murder. Fischer visited distraught parents and couldn't help sympathizing with them in this tragedy as a father of a boy himself. Then he made his way to the nursery and asked a few questions but it was hard to find any point he could stick to. He asked Michael's teacher to come the following day as it seemed that she was the last person who saw him alive. Unfortunately, he couldn't interview John Fry as the man was so drunk he barely sat straight. He mumbled incoherently about the horror and tragedy and it seems he was also shaken by this murder. He put him in custody so the man would sober up but he knew it would take at least one night sleep. So in the end he found himself in their mobile office reviewing all the notes taken during the investigation looking for any clue. In fact, he was waiting for La Cour to return from his errands as he was hoping to move out of his hotel room as soon as possible. Thomas came back about an hour later and looked weary. Fischer knew instantly that the man had one of his "visions" and it surely wasn't pleasant.

"Any news?" he asked casually.

The dark haired man sat behind his desk and thanked Gaby as she handed him a cup of coffee.

"It wasn't a stranger. It was someone the boy knew and trusted. I had this…" he cleared his throat. "This premonition. The murderer liked the child. Killing wasn't planned."

"He killed him accidentally?" Fischer questioned.

"Yes, I think something must have gone wrong…"

"Yeah," nodded Alan as he didn't feel like continuing this talk. It was much too cruel and every time he thought about Michael, he saw the face of his own son.

"You ok to call it a day?" he asked La Cour suddenly.

Thomas raised his brow questioningly.

"What do you have in mind?

"I thought… well, you agreed on the flatmate thing and I'm paying quite high for the hotel room… I could move in. Like, today," Fischer explained.

"Oh," the dark-haired man was quite surprised.

"You guys would be living together?" Gaby exclaimed in real excitement.

"Yeah," confirmed Alan with a broad smile.

"God forbid…" sighed Ingrid who as it turned out was also listening to the conversation.

Fischer stood up and approached La Cour's desk.

"So… we're going?"

Thomas blinked a few times as if he wasn't really convinced.

"Yeah, sure." He stood up abruptly and follow his colleague.


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay, so here we go," said La Cour opening the door to his flat. He was living in a nice old building with a garden behind it. His apartment was on 2nd floor and Fischer couldn't help wondering if the flat looked as old and noble as the corridor. Well, he didn't mind as long as he had a bed to sleep on. When the door opened, Alan was greeted by the sight of clean white walls and bright interior. The apartment as it turned out was in pretty good shape, apparently it was renovated not long ago. The design somehow didn't surprise him – everything was in modern simple Ikea style that just suited La Cour's personality. It was nice though, nicer than he could hope for.

"Time for grand tour, I guess," stated his colleague with a slight smile upon his lips. He enjoyed Fischer's reaction to his home, the fellow policeman had something in his expression that made him think of a boy unwrapping his Christmas present. He guided Alan through the corridor to the furthest door. He opened them and showed the small room to his friend.

"This is the guest bedroom. Your room now," he simply explained. It was a small room but it had all the essential furniture – quite big and comfy-looking bed, a wardrobe and a small desk by the window.

"Damn," that was the only word that left Fischer's mouth.

"Not satisfied?" La Cour enquired as he watched intensely the quizzical look on the other man's face.

"No! No, no… It's perfect. Wow," Alan said and then barely whispered. "Thank you, man."

Thomas smiled pleased to get such response from his friend.

"Wanna see the rest?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," replied Fischer absentmindedly still enjoying the sight of his new room.

They visited all rooms in La Cour's apartment. They were all in the same clean-cut style and Alan instantly liked the whole spirit of the flat. On the other side of the corridor there was Thomas' bedroom, much bigger than the guest room, but also cozy. There was also a small bathroom with shower and the living room with adjoining kitchen. After the tour, they began to move all the bags from Fischer's car to his bedroom. Living in hotel rooms for quite long now, he learnt to possess only the minimum of things and it turned out that he couldn't fill even a half of the wardrobe with his clothes. He definitely needed more clothes and he would go for shopping as soon as he paid off all debts. And that was in the not-so-near future.

"Okay, I'm done!" he exclaimed from the bathroom were he put his cosmetics. At least he no longer had this awful hair gel that La Cour hated so much. He found Thomas sitting on the couch looking through the files of their ongoing case. He swiftly took the file from his friend's hands.

"No working, we're celebrating," he explained to the confused man.

"We need to work tomorrow," Thomas pointed out.

"A few beers won't do any harm," the man shrugged. "I'll go the shop and you'll pay."

"Funny," said La Cour but stood up to grab his wallet. He handed some money to the fellow policeman.

"Better be quick or I'll fall asleep," as he managed to say that, Fischer nearly run out of the flat. Thomas started to laugh at this childish display. Apparently that was how the life with Alan Fischer would look like. He was quite pleased having someone's in his apartment. He rarely had guests, not to mention women and he missed just having a person to talk to or enjoy a simple mundane things. Fischer was always a person from the team that he related most to, although they were completely different. But somehow La Cour could look beneath the macho look of his colleague and found out that underneath there was a sensitive thoughtful man. Maybe a little childish and hot-headed but always with the best interest in mind. As it turned out, Fischer was a champion of grab-a-beer marathon and it took him no longer than 10 minutes to return with the shopping bag.

"You're asleep?" he asked between heavy breaths.

"No," Thomas chuckled.

They both sat on the far ends of the couch and grabbed beer. It was like when they went to bars during the cases to gossip and share a drink, but much more comfortable and laidback. They could talk without the noises of the overcrowded pub and worrying that someone is listening to their conversation. The more beers they had, the more freely they talked. Alan told him about how he missed being a father and how low he felt living in cheap hotels to be able to pay child support. Thomas nodded although he didn't find the lack of parenthood so hard. He never felt the need of having a child, he was feeling too insecure and unstable himself to be able to raise a child of his own. So he ran again leaving alone a woman who counted on him for the second time in his life. Helen was not furious, rather sad and resigned. He knew she was worried about his mental state and didn't want to push him as she was afraid he could once again break. She didn't want that for their child nor for herself. They didn't parted on bad terms, he promised to pay and she promised to keep him posted as to their daughter's well-being. Thomas wondered sometimes if his special talent didn't took away from him the ability to love.

"So… this vision thing. Does it occur often?" Alan pried.

"No, not really. I don't feel it coming," explained La Cour feeling a little bit uncomfortable.

"But it's always about bad things, right? The things that happened?" he was genuinely curious.

"No. Several time I had this… premonition that something will happen. Small things like what Helen's going to say, or that a red car would pass me on the highway. Stuff," Thomas shrugged taking a sip of his fourth beer.

"Wow. Cool. You're special," stated the short-haired man putting away the empty can.

"Yeah, special…" repeated his colleague with a wry smile.

"Let's make an experiment!" Fischer abruptly stood up and almost flipped. It seemed he had more beers than he remembered. He grabbed La Cour's hand and tugged. His friend stood up and followed him although he did not like the sound of it.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" he asked with the raised brow as Alan opened the door to his bedroom.

"I'd like to know what's gonna happen to me here," he explained to Thomas.

"It really doesn't work like that. I cannot make the vision just appear," he sighed sitting on his friend's bed.

"C'mon, maybe something would come. Like the vision of busty red-head…" La Cour started to laugh at the other's man suggestion. He laid on the bed enjoying the softness of the mattress and closed the eyes. He could easily fall asleep now. And then as he was beginning to feel drowsy, it suddenly came.

It was dark, he barely could see the room. He was laying on the bed heavily breathing. Was he afraid? Excited? Then he felt the move on the mattress and suddenly a figure hovered above him. He knew that hairstyle and the serious look on the face – it was Fischer. He was naked from his waist up, his muscles were strained as he propelled himself on hands that were placed on both side of La Cour's head. He was also breathing heavily and his expression was hard to read. He was scared and determined at the same time. Then it happened so quickly Thomas couldn't even react. Fischer's mouth was on his own devouring it aggressively. His own excitement was reaching a peak. He opened his mouth and felt the man's tongue slide inside him and it was far too much, his head nearly exploded and he…

He got up abruptly almost knocking off Fischer who was kneeling beside the bed with the worried look on his face.

"You alright?" he asked with dread in his voice. "I didn't mean this.."

"Alright…" Thomas dismissed him and tried to steady his breaths. This vision was so forceful and real that he needed to swipe the sweat from his forehead.

"Was it bad?" Alan asked in guilt.

"No," La Cour laughed nervously. "Actually, it was you in bed. With someone. It was just real…"

Fischer smiled like a child and patted his friend's back.

"The red-head?"

"Not…" Thomas cleared his throat. "Not sure."

"It's a red-head!" exclaimed short-haired man already lost in his own fantasies.

"I'll call it a night if you don't mind," La Cour excused himself weakly and started leaving the room.

"Yeah, sure," Fischer also stood up and looked as if he sobered up in one moment. "Thank you, La Cour. I mean, for everything."

"No problem," answered the clairvoyant not even turning to look behind.


	4. Chapter 4

La Cour had hard time falling asleep that night. He was processing the events of the evening with the obsessive frequency. What was the vision about? And the most important question – did the vision concern himself or somebody else? Whichever it was, it was still disturbing. Not the vision alone, there was nothing dangerous or alarming about it. It was what it made him feel. He wasn’t like that, he knew that with certainty. In his over 40-year-old life he had never been attracted to a man. He didn’t even consider it. Still he didn’t believe that the word “gay” was even near that story. It was just… He should have been disgusted. And if not (he wasn’t a bigot, mind you), he should have just felt indifference towards the incident. But he couldn’t forget this feeling, the heartbeat throbbing in his ears, this sweet expectation and torturous arousal once Fischer’s mouth descended onto his own. Jesus. Was he really attracted to Alan Fischer, his buddy for over 5 years now, towards whom he didn’t feel anything but the friendliness and fondness? He was turning and tossing whole night until he fell into dreamless sleep. He opened his eyes as soon as the alarm-clock went off and although tired he managed to get up. Still in his pajamas he left the room and headed for the kitchen. He heard some clacking of utensils so he curiously followed the source of the sound. He felt his throat and mouth go dry as soon as he entered the room. Fischer was brewing the coffee in the coffee machine and was very focused on his task. He apparently also just left the shower as he still had a towel thrown recklessly over one of his bare shoulders. He was wearing a pajama bottom but without a top and his muscled chest was exposed to the morning sun coming through the kitchen window. After a while he spotted the intruder and smiled widely at what he guessed was shocked expression.  
“Yes, I can make us coffee. Here you go,” he poured the hot liquid into the cup and placed on the table. Thomas snapped from the trance and headed towards the table to grab his mug.  
“I was surprised you got up so early,” La Cour explained to hide his embarrassment.  
“I had a glorious night,” his colleague exclaimed enthusiastically. “You can’t even imagine how it was better than sleeping in a hotel room. I feel like I could hug you.”  
“No need,” the forensic raised the hands defensively and laughed nervously.  
“You took a run?” enquired Thomas.  
“Yeah. And took shower.” Fischer sipped his coffee and then added with slight frown. “Is that ok?”   
His friend laughed loudly.  
“You’re paying half the rent and bills. You can do whatever you want.”  
“So if I invited a few girls and organized a small orgy in your living room, you wouldn’t mind?” short-haired man asked innocently, but Thomas knew he was pulling him on.  
“Please, one lady at a time,” he laughed again and finished his coffee leaving Fischer on his own.  
It was only when he left the kitchen that he noticed his hands were slightly shaking. What was going on with his brain? He saw Fischer half-naked many times, they used to train together, so why was he reacting now like it was something unusual? The vision last evening somehow opened a completely unknown territory in his mind and he didn’t know what to do. He grabbed clothes from his room and headed for the shower. Fischer was humming some melody under his nose while relaxing by the coffee and it made La Cour feel strangely satisfied with the current living arrangement. His home suddenly felt more cozy and relaxing. Alan apparently organized his things well in the small bathroom taking all empty place he could. It turned out that the man possessed a quite impressive collection of cosmetics and Thomas stopped wondering why women fell for him so easily. He apparently not only cared about his muscles but also about the overall appearance. With curiosity La Cour opened the bottle of perfume and breathed in the scent. Previously he didn’t care about the smell but now it made his stomach squeeze with some longing. That was definitely Fischer’s smell. He took a brief look at the rest of the cosmetics. With satisfaction he noticed that the grease his colleague used to put in his hair was nowhere to be seen. Since he had his haircut he didn’t need it anymore. The policeman fondly smiled at the memory of putting his hand in Fischer’s hair with affection only to be met by the unpleasant sticky fluid. He criticized the man then and it wasn’t long after that Alan cut his hair short. It certainly made him more tough-looking. La Cour couldn’t help but wonder if it was his comment that made Fischer get rid of this awful hairstyle. But of course that was just his wishful thinking. He undressed and stepped into the shower. As the warm water cascaded down his body, his thoughts returned to last evening’s events. He shouldn’t ponder on that, he was not responsible for his visions, no matter how vivid they were. But he couldn’t pretend as if nothing had happened as well. He definitely felt some physical attraction as he saw his friend standing half-naked in the kitchen. Damn, he didn’t know where to look and his mouth went suddenly dry. Why hadn’t he felt it earlier and only now? Thomas wasn’t naïve, he knew he must have had those feelings before but couldn’t quite put the words to them. Now when the vision made it clear for him, everything started to fall into place. He always felt some strange magnetism that drew him closer towards the short-haired man. He wasn’t a very social person, actually people rather called him awkward when it came to social interactions. So the sudden blooming friendship with Alan was surely something unusual. He sought the company of the man and now finally knew why. He bitterly laughed at his foolishness. He was much too old to make such revelations about his life. At least he was ready to face the problem. The questions was what he was going to do with it. The loud knocking on the door snapped him from his thoughts.  
“Sorry to disturb, but we need to leave soon. I have an interview,” shouted Fischer from behind the closed door.  
“Sure, I’m finishing!” replied Thomas and turned off the shower. He needed to focus on the case. There would always be time to sort out his messy personal life later.


	5. Chapter 5

They arrived at work in two separate cars. It was slightly weird but they both needed to take care of different issues during this case and be as mobile as they could. They were a bit late for the meeting and earned a stern look from Ingrid as they came in.  
“Is it going to be like that always?” she asked with faked irritation.  
“You can’t imagine how long La Cour’s taking a shower,” Fischer answered with wide grin giving an eye to Gaby who smiled under her nose.  
“Oi, my apartment, my shower,” protested Thomas in mocked seriousness.  
Gaby handed them both coffees smiling sweetly.  
“Any news during the night?” Alan finally asked with real interest.  
“The police didn’t find the boy’s bag. Still no luck with the witnesses,” Ingrid summed up.  
“Boysen’ve just sent the autopsy report,” informed IP with the documents in his hand that he just pulled out of the fax machine. “The cause of death was suffocation. Most probably someone put a plastic bag over his head. No signs of penetration although there is some abrasion and reddening on his penis. It’s possible that it’s from the forceful fellatio but no signs of saliva was found. He was probably cleaned after the act.” IP finished reading the report and there was a visible disgust on his face. Fischer closed his eyes for a moment but under the eyelids he just saw the image of his own son, brutally violated and threw out in a dirty ditch like garbage. He clenched his fists and opened his eyes. It wasn’t his son that was dead but he had to make sure that the monster behind this was caught and sentenced.   
“OK, I’ve got a date with the drunkard,” he finished his coffee in one sip and dashed out of the van. Thomas’ eyes followed his movements and for a while he was just staring at the door behind which his colleague disappeared. He didn’t hear Ingrid who was apparently talking to him.  
“La Cour… La Cour!” finally she got his attention. “You ok?”  
“Yeah,” the man shook his head dismissively. “Just tired.”  
“First boys’ night out, huh?” IP joked.  
“No, this case is just… tiring,” Thomas explained and he didn’t need to say more as they all felt the same way. “I’m going to the nursery. I would follow the boy’s usual route back home.”  
“I’ll tag along,” offered Ingrid. “I want to speak to the nursery’s director myself. IP,” she referred to the older man. “Check the police records. I want to know if they had any pedophiles in the area, any cases of child abuse, anything.”  
“On my way,” IP nearly saluted on this order.  
“C’mon, La Cour,” Ingrid turned to leave the office.   
The man obediently followed her but knew they were taking his car anyway. He disarmed the alarm and they got in.  
“Are you ok to drive?” Ingrid asked with the concern seeing his tiredness.  
“I’m just a bit underslept. I swear I had just 2 beers yesterday and I’m as sober as a newborn,” he forced himself to smile but it came out quite weak. He started the engine and moved. For some time they were quiet, lost in their own thoughts. His boss was apparently very moved by the case and he was not surprised by it. However, he himself seemed more bothered by his recent discovery than the murder of a child. That was not right. His head was a mess right now and it had nothing to do with the booze or the lack of sleep. His thoughts were tangled and for the sake of this case, he just needed to do something.  
“How is living with Fischer going?” the woman suddenly asked him as if she was reading his mind.  
He didn’t bat an eye though, the ability to pretend was one of his big assets.  
“We just started sharing the flat yesterday!” he laughed bitterly.  
“Yeah, but… that was quite unexpected. I know you are on good terms and so on, but well…” Ingrid tried to be gentle with words. “You just seem so different. Fischer’s a good boy, but hot-headed and stubborn. And you are… well, more mature, closed, calm. I’m just worried he may get on your nerves quickly.”  
“It didn’t happen for all those years, Ingrid,” Thomas pointed out. “I’m really happy to have someone to talk to. A friend. Sometimes it becomes… too empty.”  
The red-head woman was contemplating his words and he knew he managed to convince her.  
“You’re right, sorry,” Ingrid finally said. “You both would be watching over each other.”  
The man suddenly felt weird when someone else stated the obvious to him. He almost thought that he was the only one seeing how close he and Fischer were. But that was not true – the whole team saw that, heavens know why, they clicked together. Maybe even more than they were willing to admit. La Cour felt himself blush at the sudden turn of his thoughts and that embarrassed him. He didn’t want to show this side of his nature to the boss.  
“Erm… La Cour?” Ingrid spoke up hiding her smile. “Wasn’t that just our nursery?” she pointed out of the window. That made Thomas woke up from his daydreaming.  
“Shit!” he exclaimed and stopped the car to perform U-Haul. They stopped on a small parking place before the colorful building. The place was not far from the main road and on one side of the nursery there was a wall of trees that grew further into the forest. They didn’t enter the building immediately but first took a look at the sight before them.  
“Nice place for children,” stated Ingrid.  
“Was the forest searched?” asked La Cour looking at the trees that disappeared in darkness.  
“They are still checking. It seems the woods grows further and cover quite vast plot of land. However, the teacher claims that Michael went the other side towards his home.”  
It was fall so the playground looked rather grim. The leaves were covering most of the lawn and the equipment was standing moist from the morning dew. Nonetheless, Ingrid was right and it was indeed a nice place for children to spend their time.   
“I’m going in,” his boss informed him zipping her jacket all the way up as it was quite chilly outside. “What about you?”  
“I’m going to have a look around the nursery and then follow the path to Prices’ house,” Thomas explained already closely regarding his surroundings. “I’d be back for you as soon as I’m finished.”  
Ingrid nodded and went into the direction of the entrance. Thomas felt a shiver down his spine from the cold wind but didn’t zip his jacket. He needed a bit of chill to keep him focused. At the parking lot there were few cars belonging most probably to the employees. He briefly looked at them in search of any clue. If the murderer threw the boy out in the ditch, he needed the car. Unfortunately, a body of a boy would fit any trunk so there was not much he could judge by the cars’ models. He encircled the building closely looking for spots that a potential murderer could watch the child from. The forest was a tempting idea but nothing pointed at that direction so far. Finally, he followed the boy’s path home hoping to find out anything. The route was indeed a short one. After leaving the parking lot, a boy needed to turn into a smaller road with the pavement on both sides and the alley of family houses. He was probably going on the left side to avoid crossing the road. The pavement on both side was guarded from the houses by walls or fends. He passed a small grocery on his way and made a mental note to go there and ask some questions. He almost reached the child’s house when suddenly his eyesight blurred. He propped himself on the wall next to him and allowed the vision to come to him. In the dream-like image he saw a black car driving along the road. On the passenger seat he saw Michael smiling cheerfully and eating a candy bar. The car just passed slowly down the street and his vision ended. He was breathing heavily and felt like puking. The sweat was running down his face. So now he was sure that the boy knew his kidnapper. He needed to remember the car but it was hard to focus on details. The only certain thing was the black color of the vehicle. After the break, he reached the Prices’ house but didn’t go in. He just took a look at the yard in front of the house and spotted two cars parked there. One was a metallic hatchback while the other was a small dark blue city car. The blue color was almost black in the shadow, but the part of the roof that was lit by the sunlight gave the beautiful navy shade. La Cour was sure they weren’t the cars he was looking for. He turned back and followed the same route as before. On his way back he paid a visit to the small grocery. At this time there weren’t many customers so he pushed his way among the vegetables and fruits to the cash desk. An older man wearing slightly dirty apron was just packing the shopping bag of an elderly lady. He waited for the woman to pay and take her merchandise.  
“How can I help you?” the man asked with a smile.  
Thomas waved his badge so the man could read it.  
“I want to ask if you knew a boy, Michael Price. He was going past your shop every day from his nursery,” La Cour explained.  
The man nervously rubbed his hands on the apron.  
“Of course I knew him. Poor boy,” he whispered apparently trying not to burst in tears. “That stupid parent of his. Just thinking about the money…”  
“Did you see him on Monday, 11 October?” Thomas enquired.  
“The day he disappeared? No. No, I didn’t see him,” the shop-keeper was thinking hard about that day. “I was usually watching out of the window if he’s coming home. Just to make sure, you know. If the parents cannot watch him, that was the least I could do. He sometimes did the shopping here on his way back. But on some days I didn’t see him coming. I guessed his parents picked him up then but now that I think of it, that’s hard to believe with them being so busy…”  
Thomas listened carefully to the man’s statement.   
“Have you seen a black car riding this road on Monday?” The policeman asked the final question.  
The man laughed.  
“I don’t keep track of all the cars here, really,” he explained.  
“OK. Thank you,” La Cour turned towards the exit.  
“Make sure to catch that monster!” the man shouted after him.  
Thomas nodded, more likely to himself than to the man who couldn’t see him and left the shop. He made his way back to the parking lot in front of the nursery. The wind seemed more strong after this short walk and there were dark clouds gathering on the sky. It would start raining soon and Thomas didn’t feel like getting wet. However, before getting Ingrid he carefully examined all the parked cars once again. He found one black car and decided to take a look. He went around the vehicle searching for some clue and looked inside through the window. There was nothing unexpected or suspicious there, he wasn’t even sure what he hoped to find. It was worth a try though. He quickly went in the building. Ingrid was talking quietly with an older woman in the corridor. He approached both women.  
“Hello, I’m Thomas La Cour” he introduced himself to the stranger.  
“Hello, Anne Holm, the director,” she greeted him. She looked very friendly and trustworthy as far as Thomas could judge. But behind the pleasant smile he gave him, she seemed to be haunted by the recent events. Her eyes were red and sore as if she was crying a lot lately.  
“I’m sorry, but I really don’t have anything to add. Of course, I’ll help as much as I can,” she turned to Ingrid this time apparently finishing their conversation.  
“Sorry, but who owns a black car in the parking lot?” the policeman interrupted.  
The director seemed taken aback by his question but he was used to catch people by surprise by his apparently unimportant questions.  
“Black car?” she thought for a moment. “I think that would be Ms. Adams’. Michael was in her group.” She suddenly connected two facts and there was a look of horror on her face. “Why do you ask? Is it connected to the murder? Did you find something?”  
“No, please relax,” Thomas tried to calm the older woman down. “We examine all the traces. It may really be nothing. No need to worry.”  
The director relaxed visibly and excused herself with her duties. Ingrid watched him closely waiting for some kind of explanation. La Cour started walking towards the exit so the woman followed him.  
“Black car?” she enquired.  
“I just had… I had this vision,” he pinched the base of his nose feeling like he was about to have a headache. The rain had just started so they run to the vehicle to avoid getting wet. Inside the car Ingrid asked about his findings.  
“I just saw the boy riding a black car as a passenger. He didn’t seem frightened , like he knew the person he was with. But… that’s just a vision. Hard to use in a court,” he bitterly joked but Ingrid didn’t smile. “I enquired a shopkeeper along the way. He knew the boy, made a habit of watching him pass his shop. But he didn’t see the boy on Monday. He also said that there were days when Michael was not passing his shop and suspected the parents picked him up. I think that’s worth checking. Maybe he strayed sometimes from his path.”  
His boss nodded pleased that they had at least something to examine in this case. The worst thing in their job was to wait for more clues or for the move of the perpetrator. It made them feel almost useless.  
“The director didn’t have much to say. She showed me around the premises. I asked her for the files of all parents and employees - maybe we would find something in the database.”  
La Cour nodded also glad they could do something to move the case on. He started the engine and drove them to their mobile office. It was raining quite hard when they pulled in front of the van. He almost succeeded to forget of the events that haunted him since the last evening but as soon as he saw Fischer’s car and the man sitting in the vehicle and smoking, he just felt a stir inside him. Alan saw them too and raised his hand in a greeting gesture, not pulling a cigarette out of his mouth. La Cour unconsciously smiled and realized he had this funny feeling inside his guts. He knew he was too old for that, feeling like a teenager just didn’t suit him. Fortunately, Ingrid didn’t spotted his goofy smile because as soon as they stopped she stepped out of the car and run inside the office. Thomas pulled down the window on his side so he was facing the open window of Fischer’s car.   
“You should give up if it’s so troublesome,” he teased the man.  
“I may not be allowed to smoke in your car but hands off my own vehicle!” mumbled Alan still with the cig between his lips. La Cour enjoyed their teasing, it somehow enabled himself to distance from the outer world.   
“Going in?” finally asked Thomas when his colleague threw the fag out of the window.  
“Yeah, let’s race,” Fischer suggested seriously and dashed out of the car.  
Thomas didn’t stand a chance but entered only seconds after his younger teammate.  
“That was cheating,” he stated heavily breathing.  
“That was weak condition, old cowboy,” Alan riposted with a wide smile and managed to made everyone in the room smirk.   
“All right, let’s look what we have,” Ingrid started and stood before the lit panel. “We went to the nursery with La Cour. The director was not very helpful but agreed to send us files of all the employees and parents. Gaby, can you run it in our databases and see if you can find anything?”  
The blonde haired woman nodded and started typing on her laptop.  
“La Cour had a vision – the boy was driving as a passenger in a black car with somebody he knew. We know better than to ignore La Cour’s gift so let’s focus on the black car. Also, the shopkeeper of a grocery near Prices’ house stated that sometimes he didn’t see the boy passing his shop and thought that the parents picked him up. Let’s check that. IP?” she offered the floor to the man with the moustache.  
“Yes, I spent the whole morning in the police headquarters looking for any earlier cases of child abuse,” he started. “I found some names but most of them didn’t fit the crime scene. But we found some minor offenders who might have felt more boldly this time. We are checking if there’s any connection to the child. Especially, if La Cour’s thinking that it was no stranger…”  
Ingird nodded and shift her gaze to Fischer who was swinging on his chair.  
“I spent a lovely morning with the drunkard who was barely able to make one coherent sentence,” he sighed and stabilized himself on the ground. “Nonetheless, Mr. John Fry, though in shock, remembers surprisingly many details from that night. He left the pub where he was drinking with his buddies at around 2 p.m. As he stated, he promised his wife to be home before the dawn. He was late for the night bus so he decided to go on feet. Together with the wife they are living on the outskirts. There weren’t many cars passing him on the road as he was walking but he didn’t pay attention to them, so no luck with the murderer’s car. At some point, he missed his step and fell down into the ditch. He landed face down on something soft,” he tried to hide the disgust on his face. “As you imagine, it was Michael’s body. He said he had been stupefied. The boy had a blue garbage plastic bag over his head and his body was half covered with leaves and sticks as if someone had been trying to hide the body. After the initial shock, he removed the bag from the child’s head and saw Michael’s face. At that point the man realized that he just found the dead body and frantically started to climb out of the ditch. He said he had a panic attack and couldn’t think of anything else but running the middle of the road waving his hands and crying for help. Since this fragment of the road was on quite secluded area with the forest on both sides, it was a miracle that he managed to stop a police car before getting killed by any other vehicle. The rest of the story is in the police acts. We have no reason not to believe Mr. Fry’s statement. He has an alibi and is willing to help,” Fischer wrapped up his story and added, “In half an hour I have an interview with Kate Adams, Michael’s teacher. Let’s hope she would be more helpful.”  
“I’d like to be present,” La Cour suddenly said.  
Alan quirked his brow in puzzlement.  
“No problem. Any particular reason?” he enquired.  
“Ms. Adams has a black car. It may fit my vision. I’d like to ask her about it,” Thomas explained shifting on his chair.  
“OK, that’s settled then,” Ingrid summed up and everyone turned to their tasks.  
Fischer stood up and stretched.  
“Care to smoke in my car before the questioning?” the younger man asked La Cour.  
Thomas was torn by this question. Partially, he felt like he should put a distance between them after what had happened yesterday. On the other side, now he yearned Fischer’s presence more and more. He surely was overthinking the whole affair.  
“Earth to La Cour?” Alan was still waiting for his reply.  
“Sure,” Thomas muttered and stood up to join his colleague in the run to his car to avoid getting completely soaked.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone;s watching the fic, sorry for the long breaks. I have the whole fanfic in my head, but unfortunately they didn't create the device yet that saves the data from head to the harddrive.

After a quick run they found themselves in Fischer’s car. Alan shook the droplets of water from his hair by running a hand through it. His short hairstyle had apparent advantage in such weather. La Cour brought an umbrella as he refused to get soaked before the interview. Fischer lowered the window on his side and lit the cigarette. A well-known smell of a cheap brand hit Thomas’ nostrils. He didn’t mind though, had a lot of time to get used to it as he did to his teammate. These cigarettes and Fischer were somehow connected and now he even enjoyed the unpleasant odor they gave.  
“So, how are you feeling?” Alan asked after a short moment of silence.  
Thomas started laughing.  
“Suddenly everyone is concerned on my well-being,” he commented.  
His colleague fixed his stare on him and Thomas knew Alan was sincerely worried.  
“Fine. Tired,” he replied shortly.  
Fischer took another drag of the cigarette.  
“Bullshit,” he summarized. ”I know the visions make you a wreck. I’ve seen it yesterday.”  
Thomas felt his throat tightening at the mention of the previous evening.  
“All right. Today I nearly puked on my shoes and passed out. Happy?” La Cour admitted.  
Alan who was watching his mate all the time, now lowered his gaze as if he was embarrassed. That was ridiculous though, as he was not responsible for La Cour’s state of mind.  
“Sorry,” the short-haired man finally said and threw the fag out of the window.  
“That’s hardly your fault,” Thomas stated with a tight smile.  
“No, I mean for yesterday,” Allan explained and continued. “I didn’t know that you react that way.”  
La Cour once again felt the panic rise within him. The proximity of the object of his newly found fantasies didn’t help. In one moment it became very hot in the vehicle in spite of the open window and the gust of winds and the drops of rain that were coming through it.  
“It wasn’t that bad,” he managed to utter quietly.  
Fischer was staring at the drops of rain falling down the front window. He looked as if he was weighing his options. Suddenly he smiled widely and turned his head to Thomas.  
“You joking? You freaked out after the vision like you’d have seen my naked ass!” his eyes were glowering with good humor and La Cour couldn’t help but reciprocate the smile. Never mind that Fischer’s guess almost stroke home, the younger man always knew how to lighten up the mood.  
“No, don’t deny, my firm buttocks made you uneasy,” Alan made a theatrical face of despair. “To atone for your discomfort, today’s beer is on me.”  
Thomas laughed truthfully this time.  
“You’re really impossible…” he wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes.  
“That’s why all the people love me. Except for my wife,” he made a bitter remark.  
La Cour knew better than laugh at that. Although his colleague meant it as a joke, he knew there was some truth and regret behind those words. He also suspected that it wasn’t that Fischer’s wife didn’t love him, it was rather Fischer who for some reason couldn’t make the commitment. For all his love for the son, he didn’t seem to enjoy the “cage” of such a serious relationship. His musings were stopped as soon as he spotted a black car pulling on the parking lot near their office. Alan saw it as well and they both watched in silence the female silhouette behind the steering wheel. The woman got out of the car and quickly took out the umbrella to avoid the aggressive drops of water pouring from the sky. She closed her car and followed to their mobile office.  
“Guess our witness is here,” said Fischer pulling up the window on his side and stepping out of the car. Thomas did the same and joined his friend in the chase to the office. Once they were within the safety walls of the vehicle, Fischer turned around and activated the alarm. Ingrid didn’t even look up from the papers on her desk.  
“I invited Ms. Adams to the interrogation room. Gaby already offered her coffee but she refused,” their boss explained.   
“Thanks,” muttered Fischer slightly embarrassed. He looked at La Cour who just motioned his head in the direction of the room. Both men straightened their clothes and entered the space where the woman was waiting.   
“Inspector Alan Fischer, this is Inspector Thomas La Cour,” he introduced himself and his partner. “Thank you for coming.”  
“No problem. I really want to help,” answered the woman immediately.  
Ms. Jenny Adams was a pleasant looking woman in her mid-thirties. She was slim and small, her ebony hair was pulled tightly into a ponytail and she was dressed in the neat dark dress. She had a polite smile on her face, but there were dark marks under her eyes indicating that she hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Probably all the staff from the nursery had hard time these days, the murder of a child was a big issue.  
“We would like to ask you about Michael and the day he was kidnapped. Are you ok with it?” Fischer began with the courtesy that he always possessed when interrogating females.  
“I’ve already answered so many questions that it hardly bothers me,” she explained with the heavy sigh.  
“Can you tell me a bit about Michael? How he behaved, what was his relation with other kids and staff?”  
“Oh, he was an angel,” Ms. Adams smiled at this thought. “I mean, he was very calm and mature for his age. Never fought or quarreled. He preferred solitude than playing with peers. When you gave him blocks or paper and crayons, he could sit alone for hours. He was bored with other children but adored adults. That’s why he got on well with all employees in the nursery.”  
“Do you mean he was prone to trust adults?” Fischer questioned.  
“Yes,” Ms. Adams agreed with him. “But he was not gullible. He knew the basic steps when dealing with strangers. He was just… easier to talk to than his peers.”  
“Do you remember anyone suspicious near the nursery?” Alan asked rocking on his chair. He shot a glance towards La Cour who seemed to listen carefully what was going on.  
“Not really. There are always parents and family members nearby, nursery stuff, but I can’t think of anyone suspicious. Many strangers stops on our parking lot to visit the market on the other side of the road so it’s really hard to tell.”  
“Did any particular thing happen on Monday when Michael disappeared?”  
“What do you mean?” the teacher shifted uncomfortably in her seat.  
“Did you happen to see anything odd? Maybe Michael talked to someone? Any conflicts? Quarrels?” Fischer explained.  
“No, sorry,” the black-haired woman shook her head. “It was a usual day. Michael played most of the times alone. All the parents picked up their children so he decided it was his time to say goodbye. As usual, I saw him to the door and watched until he disappeared behind the corner.”  
The policeman bowed his head processing the information. He was not sure what to ask next. The case so far didn’t have any peculiarities that he could refer to.  
“Did Michael always walk home alone?” La Cour finally asked with sharpness in his voice as he was waiting to ask the question from the beginning.  
“Yes. Once or twice his grandma picked him up but only because she was visiting the family. Otherwise, he was walking alone,” Ms. Adams elaborated.  
“Didn’t his parents pick him up from time to time by car?” Thomas didn’t give up.  
“No, never,” the woman shook her head and put a unruly strand of hair behind her ear. “They always work late.”  
“That’s curious,” the policeman paused. “I’ve talked to the shopkeeper near the nursery and he claimed that sometimes the boy didn’t come home on feet.”  
The nursery teacher raised a questioning brow at the mysterious witness but knew better than to pry on this issue.  
“All right, I ought to be more specific,” she admitted and cleared her throat. “From time to time I drove Michael home.” “  
“With the consent of his parents , of course,” she added quickly.   
La Cour and Fischer shared looks and Alan rubbed his nose with nervous gesture.  
“Why didn’t you tell us this before?” he asked.  
“I don’t know how it’s relevant,” the woman took a defensive pose. “It’s not that I drove him home that day he went missing.”  
“Didn’t you?” Thomas questioned.  
“No,” Ms. Adams was up to his challenge. “Michael left last and I watched him standing on the stairs. That’s the last time I saw him.”  
La Cour tried to read the expression from the teacher’s face but she looked sincerely moved. Either she was telling the truth or was a perfect liar.   
“You wouldn’t mind if our experts take a look at your car?” Fischer supported his friend.  
“Does it mean you would take it away?” Ms. Adams looked bothered. “I need to drive to work.”  
“It wouldn’t take much time, 2 days at most,” Alan explained hoping they wouldn’t have to get the order to be able to examine the car. The woman hesitated for a moment.  
“All right. If that would help the case,” she said slowly. “I’ll ask someone for a lift.”  
“It’s pouring outside, I can drive you home, if you’d like,” a younger policeman offered.  
“Thank you,” Jenny smiled without emotion. “Is that everything?”  
Thomas and Alan looked at each other but it seemed the interview was over.  
“Yes, thank you very much for your cooperation,” La Cour stood up and gathered files laying on the desk before him. Fischer as always was painfully courteous and offered the coat to the lady. She muttered her thanks but seemed to be embarrassed by this situation. La Cour could swear that she saw the woman turn every shade of red and it made him suddenly uncomfortable. He felt a tight knot in his stomach seeing as the charm of his colleague worked on the stranger. Alan on the other hand looked oblivious to the woman’s feelings and with a forced smile asked her out to his car. Thomas followed them both with his eyes until they disappeared behind the door of the office.   
“She doesn’t seem like the murderer type,” Ingrid pointed out as she approached him.  
“Have you watched the interrogation?”  
“Do you think she was lying?” his boss pressed for information.  
The policeman would wish he had a simple answer to this question but, to be honest, he was not sure what he thought. His intuition whispered to him that there was something suspicious in the woman, but at the same he wasn’t able to completely focus on the case. Maybe he was just prejudiced against the teacher after he saw her feminine reaction to Fischer. Maybe he wished he was allowed to feel the same.  
“I’m not sure yet,” he admitted. “I’ll call the local police and ask them to take the car for examination.”  
Ingrid just nodded and left him to make a call. He ordered the experts to come and get the car as soon as possible. As suspected, the results of the examination would take 2 days so he wasn’t sure what line of investigation he could apply now. He was tired and developing severe headache. He finally stood up and took his coat.  
“I’m going home. Call me if you have anything,” he informed Ingrid who was leaning over some reports. She barely noticed his departure. La Cour got in his car and drove home. On his way back he popped in the supermarket nearby for quick shopping. Such cases always took away his appetite but he reminded himself that he needed strength to catch the bastard. Not too keen on cooking anything, he bought some soup in can. For a moment he wondered if Fischer intended to eat together with him. Then he got frustrated. How could he stop thinking obsessively about his friend? He got back home before Fischer and was glad for the moment of solitude. He managed to heat the soup and make himself another coffee before his flat mate returned. Alan was soaking wet but didn’t seem to mind. He took off his leather jacket and boots and made it straight to the kitchen where his colleague relaxed over a hot pot of coffee. He put the shopping bag he carried on the counter and La Cour didn’t need to ask what was inside as the familiar sound of glass bottles clacking together could be heard. Thomas however didn’t pay as much attention to the shopping as he did to his friend. Alan looked absolutely adorable with the raindrops streaming down his face and wet trousers glued to his muscled legs. He was a poster boy for many girls and Thomas, with wry humor, concluded that the man became also a poster boy for him.   
“I left the umbrella in the car and needed to visit the market,” Fischer explained turning around to face his interlocutor.  
“Yeah, I guessed,” La Cour was slightly embarrassed by the line of his thoughts, but couldn’t help admiring the view before him anyway.  
“I’ll change and we can grab a beer. If you want,” he looked sheepish which only made Thomas more desperate for him.   
“Have you eaten?” the older policeman enquired after his mate left the kitchen.  
“Yeah! I grabbed a hot-dog on my way!” the voice of his colleague can be heard from behind the door of his bedroom. It took him some time to get changed and washed. By that time La Cour had finished his coffee and made himself comfortable on the couch. Alan changed into his usual sportswear that he liked to wear at home. It was rather chilly so he zipped up his blouse all the way up to his chin while Thomas was perfectly comfortable with the T-shirt. The short-haired man picked two bottles, opened them and handed one to La Cour who accepted the beer with a smile.  
“Would it be our daily habit now?” Thomas asked raising his eyebrow. “No wonder you have no money.”  
“Shut up,” Fischer also smiled with a broad-wide smile showing his teeth. “I drink when I need.”  
Thomas bowed his head in understanding and became serious. He knew his friend liked to cover all his emotions behind a silly smile and few jokes, but he felt that the man was really moved.  
“This case. It shook you,” he simply stated.  
Alan dropped the pretense. He took a swig of his beer and suddenly became interested in the etiquette.  
“It could have be my son, you know. I keep thinking that all the time,” he admitted quietly.  
“Your son would not walk home alone at such age,” his colleague stressed.  
“If not for my wife, he would,” Alan looked up at his mate and continued. “I’m a cop. I would not be able to be for him all the time.”  
“That doesn’t mean you don’t care.”  
“But he might have been that boy, La Cour.”  
Thomas knew better than to argue with his friend when he was in such sour mood. Especially that he believed Fischer was partially right on that – they were not the best parents. He knew Alan tried and struggled, but couldn’t help disappearing on a case for weeks, no matter how much he loved his son. Still, he was far more better than Thomas himself who just ran away from his child. He should regret it, should try to make up for his absence, but he just didn’t feel like a parent at all. He felt strangely indifferent and it sometimes scared him. Although he was the one in the team trying to understand criminals, to get into their heads, to have the strange visions, he himself was almost wiped out from emotions. Alan was a lot more compassionate.   
“Do you suspect the teacher?” Fischer suddenly asked finishing his beer and taking another one.  
“I don’t know. We just have my crazy vision and her black car,” he answered sincerely.  
“She didn’t strike me as a murderer type,” the short-haired man stated.  
La Cour didn’t reply to that and merely nodded. He also didn’t feel any viciousness from the woman, but it could mean nothing. In their careers they had encountered many “normal” people who turned out to be the perpetrators. It was somehow sad to know that everyone can be a cold-blood killer but accepting that was part of their job. They drank in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. Fischer was fast with his beer and when Thomas finished his first drink, the man already was in halfway of his third.   
“I’ll turn on the TV, okay?” the older policeman asked his colleague and pushed the button on the remote.  
Alan didn’t protest and soon they found themselves mindlessly watching an American slasher movie. It may not have been the wisest choice as they already had so much grief on their minds but the silliness of the production was a little relaxing. Thomas sipped his beer slowly not really feeling like getting pissed. Fischer on the other hand was drinking hard like he was trying to make himself numb and, although his eyes were constantly focused on the TV screen, his mind was miles away.   
“I’m gonna take a leak,” Thomas excused himself and stood up.  
“No need to be explicit,” his friend mumbled and just that indicated how many beers he had.  
La Cour left the room and headed toward bathroom. The cases like this one, with no witnesses, no point of reference and an awful murder were the worst for everyone. Of course, they were the special unit for such investigations specifically, but they were also normal people. With human emotions and imagination. They would be better working like machines, of course, but compassion also took great part in their job. Thomas almost wished he could be a machine. He took care of his business and washed hands. The face that looked at him from the mirror looked quite miserable. The lack of sleep on the night before was showing. Or maybe it was the sign of overthinking. He splashed cold water on his face and just then he spotted a wet towel hanging from the drying rack. Without thinking his hands reached for the cloth. It was not one of his towels, this one was almost new and didn’t match any set in La Cour’s house. Before he understood what he was doing he snuggled his face into the fluffy material. There was a familiar musky scent to it and the man breathed in this intoxicating essence. He knew this was wrong but he was too vulnerable this evening to care. The blood stirred in his vessels and once again he got back to the vision that was hunting him. The naked torso of Fischer hovering over him, the feeling of helplessness and extreme wanting and finally the moment this harsh lips descended on his own. He suddenly jerked away from the towel and nearly fell out of the bathroom in panic. He was breathing heavily and needed to prop himself on the wall. He shouldn’t have these thoughts, not now, not in the middle of the investigation. He staggered to the living room and calmed himself before entering. It seemed that the movie had just finished and there were credits on the screen. However, Fischer was no longer watching the TV. His head fell on the headrest of the couch and the regular breathing suggested that he was fast asleep. Thomas smiled under his nose and got closer to turn off the TV. Without the flickering screen the living room was almost dark except for the dim light of the street lamp that was coming from behind the window. La Cour turned to his friend contemplating if he should wake the man or let him be. He watched the relaxed face of his colleague, the same face that he was fantasizing about just minutes ago. His dry lips was slightly parted as he breathed out small portion of air. If awake Fischer looked pleasantly and cute, asleep Fischer was beyond adorable. None of the criminals they caught together would ever know how peaceful and amiable could their captor look. Thomas couldn’t help himself and his hands hovered over the short hair of the man but not quite touching them. He had a rare moment in which he could memorize this face – brows, cheeks, nose, eyes. He tried to imprint the image in his memory. He bowed over Alan with the intention of waking him up but instead of that he closed the distance to his mouth. He surprised himself with the kiss as he didn’t plan on that. It seemed that his body on the brink of the exhaustion however had other things in mind than simply letting the man go. As his lips touched Fischer’s mouth, his mind went suddenly blank for a second. And then it bombarded him with million thoughts at the same time. The kiss was soft and brief, finishing as quickly as it started. La Cour was dumbstruck as he pulled himself away from the other man. Alan’s lips tasted mostly like beer he had just gulped down, but for the clairvoyant it tasted like everything he liked – rain and earth and sun and sugar. He blinked in an effort to shook himself out of this spell and to his utmost horror he realized that Fischer’s eyes were no longer closed but fixed on him. Thomas, startled, stumbled and fell on his back. He didn’t know what to say for his defense, all the coherent excuses left his head so he just stared hard at his friend.  
“You kissed me,” Fischer mumbled in half-sleep and it was hard to guess if he was infuriated or not.  
“Yes,” La Cour whispered afraid to raise his voice.  
He waited. He waited for any answer, shouting, harsh words or spiteful remarks. He was ready to take them all. At least he couldn’t be thrown out of the house as this was his own flat. But things could go unpleasant and he was ready. However, in spite of all his doubts and insecurities, Fischer smiled. It was a sleepy friendly smile like he was still dreaming and didn’t realize this was reality. Soon his smile faded and his eyes closed and he went to sleep once again. Thomas still sat staring at the man in front of him and trying to comprehend what had just happened. When Fischer didn’t wake up for some time, he stood up on shaky legs and nearly run into his room. He didn’t want to think about it, he simply couldn’t afford one more sleepless night. Although as he lay down on his bed staring at the ceiling above and his mind raced, he knew he would not sleep much again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so horribly long for me to update. I guess life happened.:S

Thomas woke up startled and nearly fell off his bed. It was almost like the feeling one has while falling asleep, when the mind is drowning into the deep black slumber and the body jerks unexpectedly just like you were really falling. La Cour felt the sweat running down his face, his shirt damp and clang to his body like a swimsuit. He didn’t remember dreaming at all but judging by his present state, he must have been in a terrifying place. Or entirely opposite. For a few seconds after he woke up, he didn’t remember the events from the previous evening. But as he touched a hand to his wet forehead and cheeks, and the salty sweat made contact with his lips, he remembered it all too well. His heart raced and head pounded. For the umpteenth time he relived the evening, the sweet torturous moment of the kiss and his fright afterwards. Was Fischer even conscious at that moment? Or was he in this strange state in-between dream and reality when everything is possible? Was he angry? If not, why? The questions flooded the policeman’s mind and he tried to push them away. It was not the time, he tried to rationalize it. But the murder of the boy and kissing his friend, they were both in his head, dancing and mixing, driving him on the edge. He took a look at his clock which was showing four in the morning. It was far too early to be awake, but La Cour was afraid to go to sleep once again. He changed his T-shirt and slowly left his room. It was still dark outside and the flat was very quiet. Thomas was reluctant to go to the living room but since it was joint to the kitchen, he took the risk. Fortunately, Alan at some point must have woken up and moved to his bedroom for there was no sign of the man in this area. He turned on the under cupboard lights and prepared himself a cup of coffee. He sat down by the counter and opened his laptop. If he was awake, he could at least get to work. He connected to the police network and accessed the files of their case. He browsed through some reports sipping hot coffee. He tried to focus on the pictures and testimonies but his mind wandered and he found himself staring at one point on the screen for minutes. Eventually, he began to ponder on his screwed-up personal life with bitterness. This was all very wrong. He was all wrong from beginning to the end. He refused to attach to anyone, devoid himself of any feelings and now his perfect world seemed to crumble. It all started with Helen, the first time they had met and their rocky relationship afterwards. He had sworn then he wouldn’t let anyone near afraid of making the same mistake. When he joined the team everything seemed to go according to the plan. He spent long weeks catching criminals, then rested in silence for days to be called again for another terrible case. He was nice and pleasant but at the same awkward enough for people to not try to deepen the relationship. He was a fine mate, indeed. Everyone could read the sign he had been wearing on the face – “don’t get near!”. Everyone but Alan Fischer. At first he had gotten on Thomas’ nerves when he displayed lack of understanding for “staying away” policy. Fischer was persistent. At times he even seemed to be a bit daft. But he did it – he managed to take him out for drinks, make him talk, smile, joke and even tease. La Cour knew his teammates were amazed by what the younger policeman had achieved. He was amazed as well and it was too late to get back to his promise. Damn, it had been so innocent back then. He even got back with Helen, deluding himself that he could be different. He was, up to a point. But it seemed he was no different to Helen. Now he was feeling daft himself. How could he not notice that he was only changed for Fischer? With Fischer? At the same time, how could he know? It wasn’t like he drooled over his friend like he was now. And kissing was the least thing that came to his mind. God, it was so embarrassing to admit such a thing. He didn’t even remember when thinking about another human being made him so alive. But after last night it was all up to Alan. And Thomas knew he needed to face whatever was going to happen. There and then he made a lousy decision to just wait and watch. He got back to reading reports, one by one, analyzing the details. The darkness around him was slowly dissolving but the upcoming day was going to be grey and rainy anyway. Thomas felt tired, his eyes closed on their own accord. The reports weren’t showing anything they didn’t know already. Frustrated, he turned off the laptop and drag himself on the sofa. He laid down on the soft furniture and almost immediately fell asleep. He could swear his eyes closed only for a moment when he felt a soft touch to his arm.   
“Oi, La Cour…” a quiet voice could be heard and Thomas’ heart skipped a bit.  
He slowly opened his eyes. It was definitely morning as the light was coming through the window. His head hurt a little from the lack of sleep but he chose to ignore it.  
“I thought it was me who’d fallen asleep on the couch,” Fischer said smiling warmly.  
It was a good sign, he seemed not to remember the incident from the previous night.  
“I couldn’t sleep and came here to work,” La Cour explained quietly adjusting his vision to the daylight. As always, his friend’s smile was contagious and he found himself with a tiny smile plastered to his own face.  
“OK,” Alan accepted the explanation. “I was thinking about hitting the gym.”  
Thomas almost gulped. Instead, he cleared his throat and sat up. Normally, the gym sounded fine for him. He liked to get sweated before work and clear his head. It was a well-known method of policemen like them to improve the way of thinking. When you were so tired you couldn’t move, your head was empty and open for new ideas. However, now getting sweated at the gym took a wholly different meaning for him. It meant being in one room with Fischer, both panting and wet and their bodies clashing in combat. Damn, his imagination surely went into the dangerous territories.  
“My head hurts, I really don’t know,” he tried the lame excuse.  
And then Alan made something inexcusable – he made his puppy face at him. Thomas inwardly growled. As much as Fischer was a tough guy, he was also a charming lad who was able to work his magic on anyone. The clairvoyant felt defenseless against those unfair ways of his colleague.  
“I need to get changed,” he simply stated massaging the temples.  
“No rush, I need to get coffee anyway,” Fischer stood up from hunches, but didn’t move.  
He was just standing there and watching as his flat-mate rubbed his head. La Cour felt the heat rush to his face as his friend’s eyes didn’t leave him. He looked up at Alan’s face. The man’s expression was serious as he was contemplating Thomas’ figure. In that one moment the older policeman knew that Fischer did remember last evening and it made him frightened.  
“Fischer?” he asked uncertain.  
The short-haired man looked as if he woke up from the trance and smiled immediately.   
“Sorry. Erm… coffee, right,” he turned and headed to the coffee machine.  
This situation was surreal. A couple of days ago things had been perfectly normal. How could it become so strange? He didn’t want to ponder on these thought anymore so he got up and headed for his room. He quickly packed clothes for gym and put on his usual set – shirt and jacket. He knew he looked like a tired worn-out policeman from the American TV shows, at least as far as his outfit was concerned. He never bothered about his looks too much. So unlike Fischer. And unlike Fischer who looked good even if he didn’t mean to, he didn’t possess any natural charm or handsomeness. On the other hand, he didn’t even see the point in dressing up. He didn’t need to impress the girls. He popped in the bathroom to wash his face and brush teeth and he was ready to go. Alan was already in his sports clothes and waiting for him in the hall. He looked as always absolutely gorgeous, at least for La Cour. Since he found out this sudden attraction to his colleague, he seemed more and more enchanted by the man.  
“Let’s take my car,” Fischer suggested opening the front door and waiting for the other man to put on his coat. Thomas stopped dead in tracks and looked incomprehensibly at him.  
“Unless you have an appointment?” Alan finished questioningly.  
La Cour didn’t have any specific plans for today besides pressing the specialists for details and contemplating the photos from the place of crime. Indeed, he didn’t need the car provided that his colleague would drop him at their base.  
“No, not really,” he shook his head. “But you need to be my chauffeur in such case.”  
He smiled a little at this little tease and wasn’t disappointed as Fischer took the bait. The man gave his full smile showing teeth.  
“After you, M’lady,” he bowed mockingly and let the older man pass first in the door.  
They made it to the car and as soon as Thomas left the apartment he felt much better. Like all his worries and doubts were left within the walls of the flat. Even the prospect of sparring with his best friend didn’t look so dangerous as before. Their ride to the police gym passed in comrade atmosphere. Alan was sharing his never-ending stories about funny encounters that happened to him recently. He seemed to be in quite good mood considering that he spent half a night in a not too comfortable position on the sofa. La Cour on the other hand felt the strain of the sleepless night and the frustration of being stuck in the dead end. He needed a good stretch to his muscles and little sweat to really wake up.   
At such hour the gym wasn’t occupied so they had whole room for themselves. They started from the usual warm-up. Thomas couldn’t help but taking short glimpses at his friend during the training. Fischer was very focused on his exercises like he was shutting himself from the outer world. Thomas knew that it really was working like that – this was the time for the policeman to put his mind to rest. Just reset. The clairvoyant was trying to keep up to Fischer’s pace but he was much too unfocused to do so. He felt tired and his body soon begin to hurt. He sat down and drank his water watching as the other man pushed his body to its limit. Alan finally also collapsed on the floor with sweat running down his face and panting heavily. He had a big grin on his face.  
“That was good,” he managed to say between heavy breaths.  
He took a swig from his bottle and slowly his breathing turned to normal. Thomas tried to resist the urge, but couldn’t turn away his eyes from his friend’s chest moving rhythmically up and down. The white T-shirt which was soaked by sweat stuck to Fischer’s body like a second skin and didn’t leave much for imagination. La Cour saw his colleague without the shirt earlier many times but it seemed that recently every such an event unbalanced him further. Finally, the man lowered his gaze to the floor in embarrassment. He needed to get a grip.  
“Wanna spar for a while?” Fischer asked when his breath returned to normal.  
The refusal was on the tip of the clairvoyant’s tongue but he swallowed it. This was just their usual training, a thing they had done in past multiple times. No need to get nervous. He sighed.  
“I’ll be awfully slowly today, but if you don’t mind…” Thomas explained raising from the floor.  
“Don’t moan, old man,” the other policeman jumped on his feet signaling his readiness.  
They started as usual, from circling each other and a few quick kicks and punches. Last time they sparred Alan managed to threw him hard on the mattress and made some witty remarks about his face. Luckily, due to a dirty move, La Cour had his revenge. He knew this time would be similar as lack of sleep diminished his fluency and speed. He tried to stay alert but soon found it hard to focus on the fight. Fischer on the other hand was all set on their sparring and as soon as he spotted his chance, he attacked. Thomas didn’t even have time to react as he felt his legs lose contact with the ground and his body hit the floor. Alan was above him, pinning his throat with the elbow. He was smiling amiably and his face was only inches from La Cour’s own one. This was bad. Thomas felt suddenly lost in his friend’s eyes, not able to break the spell he fell under. Fischer himself seemed calm but not completely focused on fight. While he pressed his arm with just as much force as needed to immobilize his opponent, his gaze was also pinned to the other man’s face. La Cour was not sure what his colleague stare meant, he was too unfocused and too aware of his own feelings. He felt his hands sweat under the heat coming from the body above him. It was suddenly very overwhelming and he found himself unable to breathe. After a moment he couldn’t stand it any longer. He nearly pushed the policeman away and rolled on the side. He felt utterly silly. He jumped on his feet and escaped the training room leaving confused Alan sprawled on the floor.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since it's been so long, I've managed to prepare whole shiny new 2 chapters at once. :)

The way to the station passed in silence. La Cour felt like it was stretching between them but couldn’t trust himself to speak. Fischer must have felt the same as he just turned on some radio station to fill in the emptiness in the car. It became tiresome to hold all those feelings inside, to have some words at the end of one’s tongue, to omit the truth like it was something bad. But Thomas could do it. He was not an expert in all this emotional stuff, he just happened to see things, happen to tune in to other’s thoughts, but his own ones were too scary to follow. There he was in the middle of horrible unsolved case and his heart and mind was not on it. He could curse under his breath and slap himself, but couldn’t make this feeling go away. When the car stopped in front of their camper, he nearly jumped out of the vehicle. He heard Fischer get out of the car and hastily activate the alarm. He wanted to just dive inside the office but his colleague was faster. He caught up with him on the stairs and put a hand on his back. It was as if the electric wave went through his body.  
“You ok?” the man asked him looking straight in his eyes. La Cour couldn’t hold his gaze and couldn’t stand the proximity. Not now.  
“Yeah,” he mumbled and nearly run to the entrance. That was humiliating. He stormed through the door and went straight to the small kitchen to make coffee. He wanted to start working as soon as possible to start thinking about anything else than his growing attraction to his friend.  
“Morning!” Gaby flashed a smile towards him and he muttered some kind of intelligible response. He was too focused on pouring his coffee to notice the questioning look that Gaby gave to Fischer who stood by his desk and the unknowing shrug of his roommate. When he smelled the spicy aroma of the beverage, he calmed a little.   
“Any news?” he propped himself on the wall and looked at his colleagues. He spotted that Ingrid was not there yet so they didn’t miss the meeting.   
“Well…” started IP but got interrupted when their boss entered the office. She was not alone as after her came in a tall blonde woman in a police uniform. She was carrying a box with files which must have been quite heavy judging from the strain of her muscles. Fischer as usual played the role of the charming one and helped the girl with the package. She smiled at him sweetly and Alan returned the smile with the visible spark in his eyes. Thomas couldn’t take his eyes away from this little exchange and felt the tight knot in his stomach. Suddenly he felt nauseous and clenched his hand stronger on the coffee cup.  
“OK, everyone, “ Ingrid started standing by the white board where they put all the photos and traces they had. “This is Inspector Carol Pearl from the local police. She would be helping us as the main point of contact.”  
Everyone nodded in her direction. Thomas needed to hide himself behind the cup not to betray the displeased look on his face.  
“Inspector brought us some old files on pedophiles recorded in the area, “ Ingrid now turned to IP. “I know, IP, that you’ve been browsing through the digital archive. However, it seems that some data might not be in the system yet, so we need to check the files manually once again.”  
IP gave her a wry smile, but nodded in agreement.  
“I got you everything we have on any accident of child abuse for the last 20 years,” the policewoman spoke up. “I hope that would help.”  
“So,” the boss continued. “IP, La Cour and I would browse the files. Got anything to do, Fischer?”  
“Yup,” the man confirmed not quite turning his look away from the newcomer. “I would go to the Prices, confirm some of the yesterday’s testimony of the teacher. I was thinking about going to the nursery to talk to the staff, maybe they would be able to tell me anything more.”  
“OK. Take Inspector with you, she knows people, that may be helpful,” Ingrid instructed and passed Thomas in entrance to the kitchen to prepare her own coffee. IP got hold of the box and with some effort put it down on the floor. La Cour didn’t move from his spot and watched as his roommate hastily got up and opened the door for Carol who seemed to be blissfully happy to go together with Fischer. Thomas didn’t move when the door closed behind them and he heard a feminine laughter from the outside. Alan was surely working his magic. He couldn’t quite put a name for the feeling that was dwelling inside of him. It wasn’t an unusual thing to see his friend charming a woman. However, this time it all felt wrong and the clairvoyant was left with the feeling of betrayal. His fingers went white from squeezing the cup tightly.  
“You alright?” the question got him by surprise as he did not notice Ingrid standing near him.  
“Sure,” he lied swiftly and put a fake smile on his lips. “The coffee is awful.”  
Ingrid looked at her steaming cup and smelled the liquid. It wasn’t the best, that was true.  
“You’re right,” she poured her beverage into the sink nearby. “Gaby, would you order us some coffees?”  
The blonde hair woman nodded silently, grabbed her keys and left the truck. If Thomas was not so unfocused and tired from his sleepless night, he would easily spotted how the girl's lips were tightly closed in frustration when she was passing by. He never said anything but knew without doubt that Gaby was frustrated by all the "secretary” tasks she was assigned to. The man was good in reading people, but hold this knowledge to himself. He grabbed some of the documents from the pile and sat by his desk. He was in foul mood indeed. He started reading the papers and tried to shut himself from the outer world. He didn't miss the questioning look that IP and Ingrid shared, but ignored it. He certainly didn't want to speak about his troubles, his personal life was a taboo that he shared with no-one. Except for Fischer. He nearly moaned when the name of the man popped in his head threatening to take all his focus. Why couldn't he forget about the existence of his friend for a moment and put all of his attention on the documents? He took a pencil to his mouth and chewed hard. The wood cracked under the pressure of his teeth, but the bitter taste somehow comforted him. He scanned the page in front of him proud that he was able to perform this task in a feverish state he was in now. He closed his eyes and remembered the look that Fischer gave the newly acquainted policewoman. Now that they were alone, the man surely worked his charm on her. The Inspector also didn't look as she was not interested by the fellow policeman advances, judging by the smile that ghosted on her lips when she laid her eyes on Alan. Thomas wondered how much time would it take for Fischer to woo this woman - would it be matter of the couple of hours? Maybe he already achieved his goal? If he managed to win the heart of a straight man such as Thomas, it surely was easier with a pretty blonde like her. He opened his eyes only when someone leant on his desk. He raised his head to see the worried expression on Ingrid's face. She was holding a cup of take-out coffee which Gaby must have just brought.  
“Can I speak to you?” his boss asked quietly. He actually didn’t want to speak but nodded. They followed to the interrogation room to gain a bit of privacy.  
“Listen, La Cour,” Ingrid began after closing the door. “Maybe you should reconsider living with Fischer…"  
Thomas felt heat raise to his face and his heart began pounding faster.   
“I know Fischer is your friend. And I know he is a good policeman. Good man. But, god forgive, I know he could be pain in the ass at times." The man wanted to protest but she silenced him raising her hand. “Let me finish. I’m only saying it as I’m concerned about you. You look like you don’t sleep at all, you can hardly focus on the files – that’s not you, La Cour."  
“What Fischer has to do with this?” he asked in a weak voice.  
“Dammit, La Cour!” the woman cursed in frustration. “I know Fischer works like crazy. And I know that after he drinks as crazy as well. We all have our ways to let off the steam – he likes to party it out. But you’re different. Don’t let him consume you.”  
Thomas looked at her with new focus. She was genuinely concerned about his state of mind which meant he must have looked like shit. It was time to bring his wits together, he decided.  
“You’re right,” he quietly admitted. “I don’t sleep well. Fischer's nothing to do with it, I just have too much on my mind. Ingrid, Fischer's not some evil spirit luring me into the world of sin."   
She actually smiled when he said that. Good, at least his dry sense of humour was still there.  
“We just share the flat, I don’t control him nor he controls me. And the faster we catch the killer, the sooner I'll come back to my full self." The worry did not left his boss' eyes but she nodded in agreement. She was a little relieved hearing the words from Thomas’ mouth. They got back to the main room and Thomas felt the sideway glances of his colleagues on him. He ignored that completely and sat heavy behind his desk with strong intent to proceed with the task before him. He actually surprised himself when after a while he took a look at the watch and realized he spent almost 2 hours silently focused on the files. He was slowly finishing with the pile on the desk and still didn’t feel an inch closer to solving the case. Indeed, there were some pedophiles that might have got back to their filthy habits, but so far none of the man from the file fit the overall impression that the policeman built from the crime scene. Mostly they were awkward, simple men lacking social skills and some of them were too daft to understand their crimes. There was something about the last murder that implied more sophisticated killer. Nevertheless, Thomas managed to put aside a few files of the men who he would need to question later. He heard a loud growl and looked at IP who crossed his hands behind the head and rocked on the chair in frustration. He managed to browse through half of the files he had and by the frustrated sound he made, it was obvious he also did not find any firm suspect yet.  
“That’s insane,” the older man spoke aloud. "We need some new evidence, not a pile of outdated reports.”  
Ingrid scrutinized him. La Cour knew her well as to be aware that she agreed with IP's words but would not say it aloud.  
“That’s all we have now, IP. We need to use everything possible..." she probably would have said more but at this particular moment the door to the vehicle opened and Inspector Pearl entered, followed by smiling Fischer. Thomas needed to swallow hard as his throat and lips suddenly went dry. He didn't like the content look on the face of the newcomer, especially that the policewoman kept glancing at Alan who comfortably sat on his desk.   
“So?...” Ingrid started a little bit annoyed by cockiness of her co-worker who seemed more interested in the new female officer than the case. Alan sighed and got the crumbled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, but suddenly remember he was in the office and hid it back.  
“We talked to the parents. They confirm what Ms. Adams told us, that they indeed asked her a few times to drive Michael home. They were cooperative but really didn’t have much to add. Then we went to the nursery and asked around about new staff, suspicious people and so on. The director told us that there are a lot of people coming and going near the building due to the parking lot. But…” he dramatically paused and looked at the Inspector Pearl as to encourage her to speak.  
“Oh, yes. I remembered that not long ago the parking was closed as there were some road works going on. And the director confirmed that the road and parking lot were fixed by some crew. The works lasted 2 months as there were some problems with water pipes. She did not remember who conducted the works, obviously," the woman finished.  
Ingrid stared for a moment but they all saw she was excited by the news. Hell, all of them felt excited as this might have meant a new lead.  
“OK, did you manage to work out what crew was there?” the chief asked.  
“We asked the transport division and they promised to find the name for us as soon as possible. Then we can check the company to get their employees' files." Fischer answered.  
“All right, that’s a good lead, let’s follow it,” Ingrid agreed.  
“And you?” Fischer asked pointing on the pile of documents on IP’s desk.  
“Pile of frustration?” the grey-haired policeman joked.  
“A few names to check,” La Cour finally spoke and Alan’s eyes fixed on him.  
“Something good?” he probed the clairvoyant and Thomas felt far too exposed.  
“I don’t get vibes from any of them if that's what you ask," he lowered his gaze pretending to take an interest in an old file in front of him.   
“Okay, so the plan is,” their chief started. "Fischer and Inspector Pearl, go to the transport division and press them for info. Then pay a visit to the construction company and try to obtain personal files. Meanwhile we finish browsing the docs and maybe some names would cross.”  
When she finished her orders, everyone seemed to move with some kind of new energy. Even Thomas opened one of the remaining files to continue his reading. He felt someone approaching his desk and forced himself to look up. Fischer bent over the desk to be able to speak in hushed voice, although probably everyone could hear him anyway. He put the car keys on the desk next to the pile of documents.  
“Listen, I don’t know when we’ll finish, so take the car. I'll be driving with Carol and she'll drop me home afterwards," he grinned childishly to the man before him, but La Cour couldn't help but feel annoyed at the sound of inspector's name. Alan looked so pleased by the possibility of spending time with the newly met officer that it made Thomas sick.  
“Sure,” he mumbled icily.  
Fischer did not seem to notice his colleague’s bad mood or he simply chose to ignore it.  
“Cool. See ya later,” he smiled and winked at him, then turned around and followed the blonde woman. Thomas was positively furious, but couldn’t help but blush at his friend's gesture. That annoyed him even more. Fischer might have been oblivious to the existing attraction but surely knew how to get to the other man. La Cour stared at car keys in front of him. He was well aware what it meant when his friend announced to him that he would get home on his own. The sly look on his face and admiring gaze coming from Inspector Pearl told him as much. He knew Fischer was a womanizer and it was hard for women to keep away from him. It hadn’t bother him before but now Thomas felt sick. The bile rose in his throat and he needed to blink intensely several times to get rid of tears in his eyes. He took a file in hands and started to work furiously. The room fell suddenly quiet as if all of them had their minds somewhere else. After a while La Cour finished reading all of the documents and took a look at the 3 files that he chose from the whole pile. In reality, they were shots in the dark. No-one there fit the profile he made in his mind but it was better to grab at anything. He raised the eyes to watch his colleagues. IP looked harassed as he sat and read the docs biting on his pen. Thomas wasn’t even sure if he was focused on the task as he was staring at the same page for what seemed like ages. When his phoned suddenly rang, he nearly jumped from his seat, the piercing sound was so unexpected. He took the call without looking at the ID.  
“La Cour speaking,” he introduced himself.  
“Inspector La Cour, I’m calling from the lab about Jenny Adam’s car,” a man’s voice informed him calmly.  
“Have you found anything?” Thomas inquired.  
There was a brief pause on the other side.  
“Nothing suspicious, I’m afraid. No blood, no bodily fluids, no sign of any struggle. Overall the car was quite clear. The only hair we found belong to the owner,” the man explained in detail. “I’ll return the car to Ms. Adams today if you don’t have any further requests.”  
“Have you checked the trunk?” La Cour pinched his nose feeling headache return.  
“Yeah, we checked everything. There was a spare tire, some tools, nothing unusual. No sign of the material the boy was wrapped in.”  
Thomas gritted teeth in frustration but actually he wasn’t expecting anything more.  
“OK, thank you,” he ended the call.  
There were no clues, no witnesses, no new evidence – nothing to turn to. He stood up and took the key laying on his desk.   
“They found nothing in the car,” he informed everyone as they looked at him curiously.  
“Damn,” Ingrid swore under her nose.  
“I’m calling it a day,” the clairvoyant put on his jacket and started for the door.   
No one tried to stop him, he could almost swear that IP looked a little bit jealous that Thomas managed to finish with his documents faster than him.   
“Get some sleep, La Cour,” the boss said in a commanding voice. “We may have something when Fischer’s done.”  
Hearing the name of the man he was currently obsessed with was the last thing La Cour wanted when leaving the office. He just nodded tiresomely and closed the door behind him. Surprisingly, it wasn’t raining but even without it, the weather was windy and gloomy. He got in Fischer’s car and nearly moaned at the musky smell that awaited for him. He started the engine as fast as he could and pulled the vehicle on the road. He tried not to think that in the morning it was Alan who was sitting on this exact spot. Fortunately, the drive to home wasn’t too long. He managed to calm down a little as soon as he entered the familiar area of his flat. He cast a fleeting glance to the room Fischer was occupying currently and went straight to the bathroom. It was an early evening so he hoped he could relax a little and grab some needed sleep. After a few days living with his flatmate it was strange to have the house for himself once again. The loneliness wasn’t comforting anymore – the apartment felt empty instead. Thomas decided that he needed to empty his mind in order to be able to solve the case. It was too scattered with images and doubts to work properly. He settled with normalcy for a change. After the shower he felt like cooking something. Most of the times he ate takeaway, a quick Chinese or a hot-dog. Cooking was quite a luxury in this line of work so from time to time he liked to do it. He hadn’t been shopping for a while but he managed to find enough ingredients to prepare spaghetti. He was all sweaty when he finished with cutting vegetables and put everything in the pot with boiling sauce. He glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was already 11 pm. Momentary he thought about Alan, where he was and what he was doing. Subconsciously he made much more food than he would be able to eat alone somehow counting in his friend. But Fischer wasn’t there though he finished his shift already. Thomas doubted if he was late home due to anything connected with the case. Unless a bambi-eyed blonde officer was to be counted as case-related. Fucking Fischer and his fucking charm. Even a fleeting thought about his new love interest made him lost his appetite. He was tired. He felt it in every inch of his body, it was like a dull pain pulsating in his brain. He turned off the stove and put the pot away. So much for the dinner. He headed for his bedroom in hope to get some sleep. He didn’t bother changing in his pajamas, just stripped leaving his boxers on. He collapsed on the bed and closed eyes. He should have fell asleep instantly with tiredness that built for the past days. However, the sleep couldn’t come. He was restless. Behind his closed eyelids he saw dreadful images, a boy used and strangled by the shadow figure, some bloody visions of past cases, and Alan standing somewhere with the mocking smile on his lips, with the look of sympathy and repulsion.  
“Faggot,” Alan spat on the ground and Thomas fell into sticky scary darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update? What a miracle! Still no hot action but I promise something fluffy in the next chapter. :)

The touch was light but it was enough to wake up Thomas with a start. He jerked from the bed suddenly and would have surely fallen out of it if not for the stable hands that firmly grabbed his shoulders to steady him. He was still a little hazy from the troubled sleep but when he opened his eyes and saw the worried look on Fischer’s face, he was certain it was no longer a dream.  
“Easy, La Cour,” the man whispered afraid to startle his friend with louder voice.  
It was still night, probably an hour or so before the dawn. The room was dark except for the light coming from the outside streetlight. Thomas’ mind finally cleared up and he looked at his friend suspiciously.   
“Ingrid just called. We need to go, there’s been another murder…” Alan explaied oblivious to the accusing gaze of his flatmate.  
“Where were you? ” La Cour ignored the last information and stared at the man’s face. Fischer was baffled by the question.  
“Is something…” Alan started but never had a chance to finish as his friend again spoke ignoring him completely.  
“Are you even fit to go to work?” Thomas said angrily and sat on the bed rubbing his tired eyes.   
“Jesus, La Cour, I didn’t spend the evening drinking to death,” the younger man stood up suddenly pissed off by this conversation.  
“No, just fucking!” the clairvoyant snapped and suddenly it became very quiet in the room. Alan stared at his friend in shock – La Cour was rarely angry, not to mention using such harsh words. He should have stormed out of the room, should have told his friend to fuck off, but the sight of his mate desperate and agitated like that kept him rooted to the spot.   
“I’m sorry. Sorry,” Thomas mumbled ashamed of his outburst. “I’m not your wife.”  
He gave a short humorless laughter after that statement and massaged his forehead glancing awkwardly at the man in front of him.  
“You’re certainly not, I would remember that,” Fischer smiled a little and all the tension disappeared. He still was not sure what the situation was all about but was glad to offer an out from it. As he suspected, La Cour was relieved by this move.  
“The murder…?” he finally asked about the cause of the disruption.  
“Yeah. Another kid. We’ve got a serial here,” Alan’s face showed the sign of concern. “I just need to take a shower and change.”  
He left the room and Thomas sat for a while motionless just staring at the floor. What was wrong with him? To snap so suddenly and say such things to his friend? He was almost disgusted by himself. It was as if his mind didn’t wake up fully and his instinct and hurt took complete control of his body. He realized he was gripping the edge of the bed so hard that his knuckles went white. He knew it was time to face the true – that Fischer was straight, had only interest in women and no other feelings for La Cour than friendship. It was so obvious that Thomas started to wonder why he even let himself hope and get frustrated. The vision was an mind-opening experience but he wished he never had it – it felt as if the whole world changed while in truth it was only La Cour who was aware of any changes. He forced himself to get up and get dressed. He needed to bury his feelings deep down in his mind in order to solve the murder puzzle. He needed to focus. Fischer was still in the bathroom so he went to the kitchen to make coffee. They needed to be as fresh and fit as possible – which was actually laughable with Alan probably fucking like crazy whole night, and himself, sleep-depraved and chased by his nightmares and insecurities. Hopefully the rest of the team would be more presentable. He was leaning against the counter with his freshly brewed coffee when Fischer entered. He smelled of the cosmetics and freshness and looked incredibly good for someone who had had so little sleep. Thomas handed him a cup of coffee.  
“Maybe you are my wife after all,” Alan said amused and accepted the cup with gratitude.  
“Don’t get too used to it,” La Cour also smiled but his heart skipped a beat at the joke. “I’m gonna take a shower too and we can go.”  
Fischer murmured his approval from above the coffee he sipped and the clairvoyant went to the bathroom. He knew they were in hurry so he just quickly showered and shaved. He took a look at the shelf with his flatmate’s cosmetics and before he could change his mind, he sprayed some of Alan’s perfumes on his wrist. It smelled like Fischer. If he closed his eyes, he could almost see the man standing beside with this mischievous smile of his. He felt a little ashamed for imposing on the man’s privacy like that but hoped nobody would notice. It was his guilty pleasure. With the last look in the mirror, he left and reentered the kitchen. Fischer was sitting on the couch slowly sipping his coffee and staring out of the window, deep in thought. He absent-mindedly turned his head to greet La Cour with a small smile which left the policeman aching for the man again. Thomas poured the remaining coffee to the cup and started drinking. Hot liquid burned his lips and throat but he ignored it. He wanted to leave as soon as possible. He finished his drink just as his friend was putting the empty cup into the dishwasher.  
“Ready?” the younger policeman asked rubbing his hands together as if eager to leave this place as well. He just nodded and put away the cup. This time they took two cars without even consulting on this. La Cour didn’t want to repeat the situation from previous day, couldn’t bear sitting in such small closed space with the object of his desires. As they drove to the crime scene, first rays of lights were showing at the horizon. Although Thomas managed to get some sleep, he didn’t feel rested at all. He remembered his cruel dreams and the sticky wet darkness that enveloped him. With effort he shook off the feeling of dread. When they arrived at the scene, only Ingrid and the group of local policemen were there. They also spotted Bosnoyan kneeling beside the body half-wrapped in a black plastic bag. It was a small yard at the back of a department store – a place where delivery trucks unloaded the goods and where garbage was stored in four large bins. Apparently, some hobo browsing at night through the dumpster and looking for food had found a body and screamed so loud that it alarmed half the locators of the nearby house. When the police arrived, the hobo was laying by the wall paralyzed and the body was still there as he had found it – dumped in the garbage. La Cour felt sick to the core. Who could have done such a thing to a little kid? He inhaled deeply to calm his nerves though the smell coming from the bins invaded his nostrils. He spotted Fischer who was talking with police and furiously smoking a cig. Ingrid came closer and greeted him.  
“This shouldn’t be a way to start a morning…” she stated weakly.  
He pinched his nosed and looked at the dark clouds on the horizon. Everything felt wrong here but he couldn’t quite put a finger to it.  
“It’s serious, we have a serial killer on the loose,” Ingrid went on.   
He shook his head.  
“I don’t think it’s the same person. It feels different,” Thomas said slowly.   
His boss looked at him in surprise and irritation. He probably still looked like shit in spite of coffee and shower.  
“The odds of having 2 child murderers in such a small town acting in the same time… it’s ridiculous.”  
He shrugged and wrapped the jacket more closely around his body. Fischer just finished talking to the policemen and was coming towards them. For a man who probably didn’t get a wink of sleep, he looked quite vigorous.  
“All right, we have a hobo who found the body but he’s in total shock so the boys couldn’t get much outta him. Apparently his screamed alarmed security. When they arrived at the back of the building, the guy was just sitting by the wall staring at the garbage bins. They decided to check out what gave him such a scare and found the body of the boy, and immediately called the police,” Alan summarized his chat with the policemen and looked at them both. La Cour was staring in the direction of Bosnoyan who was still kneeling beside the black bag.   
“Looks like our killer gone on a murder spree,” he added after a while.   
“Yeah,” Ingird agreed feebly. “La Cour thinks it’s someone else.”  
Fischer raised his brow questioningly and looked at the other man.   
“If that’s what La Cour thinks… I wouldn’t ignore it,” he replied to his boss.  
Ingrid just sighed and went to the car. Thomas was rooted to the place as he watched the pathologist work.  
“Let’s see the body,” Fischer suggested and started walking towards Bosnoyan.  
Thomas almost automatically followed him. Just as they approached the victim, small drops of rain began to descent from the sky. One glimpse at the young boy’s mutilated frame ensured La Cour that he would not be able to get much sleep following night neither. He heard Fischer muttering under his breath one word - “Jesus”. The view certainly wasn’t for people with weak stomach. To some degree he admired Bosnoyan’s professionalism and ability to calmly perform his duty. The doctor didn’t even spare them a glance.  
“He was beaten up post-mortem with some heavy metal tool. Face is almost unrecognizable. A boy age 7 to 9. Raped, then strangled.” He explained slowly taking out his rubber gloves.  
“Why beat him after death?” Alan questioned as he put on a hood over his head.  
“He felt guilty,” Thomas replied, his voice harsh. “He wanted to forget, eradicate the crime he’s committed.”  
“Sick fucker,” Fisher muttered. “I’ll check with Ingrid if we have any match on boy’s identity.”  
Alan left and La Cour also felt a need to make a move. He walked to the place the body was found. He tried to focus and evoke his hyper-sensitive senses, but nothing was coming to him. Still the thoughts about Fisher were polluting his mind, like a spreading disease. Though even if he could get any vision now, he knew something was off there. This wasn’t the feeling he had had at the first crime scene. The brutality of the killer also didn’t match the profile he created in his head. Only after a while he realized that the rain was much more forceful than in the beginning and wet strings of hair now stuck to his face. He walked back to where Ingird and Fischer stood together.  
“We have a missing report on the boy around that age from yesterday evening,” the boss filled him in. “Once we have a positive match, Fisher would see the parents.”  
“I need photos from both crime scenes. I need some time alone with that,” he asked Ingrid and she nodded. He needed isolation to think. Just as the first thunder struck the sky, he felt his headache return.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, I still live and am still writing but it is taking me ages to make updates... >.< I swear I have the whole story figured out in my mind, I just need time to pour it all in paper (time is a luxury I lately do not have too much). Anyway. if you're still reading this, I apologize for the impossible time breaks between chapters...

The touch was light but it was enough to wake up Thomas with a start. He jerked from the bed suddenly and would have surely fallen out of it if not for the stable hands that firmly grabbed his shoulders to steady him. He was still a little hazy from the troubled sleep but when he opened his eyes and saw the worried look on Fischer’s face, he was certain it was no longer a dream.  
“Easy, La Cour,” the man whispered afraid to startle his friend with louder voice.  
It was still night, probably an hour or so before the dawn. The room was dark except for the moonlight. Thomas’ mind finally cleared up and he looked at his friend suspiciously.   
“Ingrid just called. We need to go, there’s been another murder…” Alan explained oblivious to the accusing gaze of his flatmate.  
“Where were you? ” La Cour ignored the last information and stared at the man’s face. Fischer was baffled by the question.  
“Is something…” Alan started but never had a chance to finish as his friend spoke again ignoring him completely.  
“Are you even fit to go to work?” Thomas said angrily and sat on the bed rubbing his tired eyes.   
“Jesus, La Cour, I didn’t spend the evening drinking to death,” the younger man stood up suddenly pissed off by this conversation.  
“No, just fucking!” the clairvoyant snapped and suddenly it became very quiet in the room. Alan stared at his friend in shock – La Cour was rarely angry, not to mention using such harsh words. He should have stormed out of the room, should have told his friend to fuck off, but the sight of his mate desperate and agitated like that kept him rooted to the spot.   
“I’m sorry. Sorry,” Thomas mumbled ashamed of his outburst. “I’m not your wife.”  
He gave a short humorless laughter after that statement and massaged his forehead glancing awkwardly at the man in front of him.  
“You’re certainly not, I would remember that,” Fischer smiled a little and all the tension disappeared. He still was not sure what the situation was all about but was glad to offer an out from it. As he suspected, La Cour was relieved by his words as well.  
“The murder…?” he finally asked about the cause of the disruption.  
“Yeah. Another kid. We’ve got a serial here,” Alan’s face showed the sign of concern. “I just need to take a shower and change.”  
He left the room and Thomas sat for a while motionless just staring at the floor. What was wrong with him? To snap so suddenly and say such things to his friend? He was almost disgusted by his actions. It was as if his mind didn’t fully wake up and his instinct and hurt took complete control of his body. He realized he was gripping the edge of the bed so hard that his knuckles went white. He knew it was time to face the truth – that Fischer was straight, had only interest in women and no other feelings for La Cour than friendship. It was so obvious that Thomas started to wonder why he even let himself hope and get frustrated. The vision was a mind-opening experience but he wished he’d never had it – it felt as if the whole world changed while in truth it was only La Cour who was aware of any changes. He forced himself to get up and get dressed. He needed to bury his feelings deep down in his mind in order to solve the murder puzzle. He needed to focus. Fischer was still in the bathroom so he went to the kitchen to make coffee. They needed to be as fresh and fit as possible – which was actually laughable with Alan probably fucking like crazy whole night, and himself, sleep-deprived and chased by his nightmares and insecurities. Hopefully the rest of the team would be more presentable. He was leaning against the counter with his freshly brewed coffee when Fischer entered. He smelled of the cosmetics and freshness and looked incredibly good for someone who had had so little sleep. Thomas handed him a cup of coffee.  
“Maybe you are my wife after all,” Alan said amused and accepted the cup with gratitude.  
“Don’t get used to it too much,” La Cour also smiled but his heart skipped a beat at the joke. “I’m gonna take a shower too and we can go.”  
Fischer murmured his approval from above the coffee mug and the clairvoyant went to the bathroom. He knew they were in hurry so he just quickly showered and shaved. He took a look at the shelf with his flatmate’s cosmetics and before he could change his mind, he sprayed some of Alan’s perfumes on his wrist. It smelled like Fischer. If he closed his eyes, he could almost see the man standing beside with this mischievous smile of his. He felt a little ashamed for imposing on the man’s privacy like that but hoped nobody would notice. It was his guilty pleasure. With the last look in the mirror, he left and reentered the kitchen. Fischer was sitting on the couch slowly sipping his coffee and staring out of the window, deep in thought. He absent-mindedly turned his head to greet La Cour with a small smile which left the policeman pining for the man again. Thomas poured the remaining coffee to the cup and started drinking. Hot liquid burned his lips and throat but he ignored it. He wanted to leave as soon as possible. He finished his drink just as his friend was putting the empty cup into the dishwasher.  
“Ready?” the younger policeman asked rubbing his hands together as if eager to leave this place as well. He just nodded and put the cup away. This time they took two cars without even consulting this. La Cour didn’t want to repeat the situation from previous day, couldn’t bear sitting in such small closed space with the object of his desires. As they drove to the crime scene, first rays of lights were showing at the horizon. Although Thomas managed to get some sleep, he didn’t feel rested at all. He remembered his cruel dreams and the sticky wet darkness that enveloped him. With effort he shook off the feeling of dread. When they arrived at the crime scene, only Ingrid and a group of local policemen were there. They also spotted Bosnoyan kneeling beside the body that was half-wrapped in a black plastic bag. It was a small yard at the back of a department store – a place where delivery trucks unloaded the goods and where garbage was stored in four large bins. Apparently, some hobo who was running through the dumpster at night and looking for food had found a dead body and screamed so loud that it alarmed half of the locators of the nearby house. When the police arrived, the hobo was laying by the wall paralyzed and the body was still there as he had found it – dumped in the garbage. La Cour felt sick to the core. Who could have done such a thing to a little kid? He breathed in the air deeply to calm his nerves though the smell coming from the bins invaded his nostrils. He spotted Fischer talking to policemen and furiously smoking a cig. Ingrid came closer and greeted him.  
“This shouldn’t be a way to start the morning…” she stated weakly.  
He pinched his nose and looked at the dark clouds on the horizon. Everything felt wrong here but he couldn’t quite put a finger to it.  
“It’s serious, we have a serial killer on the loose,” Ingrid went on.   
He shook his head.  
“I don’t think it’s the same person. It feels differently,” Thomas said slowly.   
His boss looked at him in surprise and irritation. He probably still looked like shit in spite of the morning coffee and shower.  
“The odds of having 2 child murderers in such a small town acting around the same time… it’s ridiculous.”  
He shrugged and wrapped the jacket more closely around his body. Fischer just finished talking to the policemen and was coming towards them. For a man who probably didn’t get a wink of sleep, he looked quite vigorous.  
“All right, we have a hobo who found the body but he’s in total shock so the boys couldn’t get much outta him. Apparently his screams alarmed security. When they arrived at the back of the building, the guy was just sitting by the wall staring at garbage bins. They decided to check out what gave him such a scare and found the body of a boy, and immediately called the police,” Alan summarized his chat with the police and looked expectantly at them both. La Cour was staring in the direction of Bosnoyan who was still kneeling beside the black bag.   
“Looks like our killer went on a murder spree,” he added after a while.   
“Yeah,” Ingrid agreed feebly. “La Cour thinks it’s someone else.”  
Fischer raised his brow questioningly and looked at the man.   
“If that’s what La Cour thinks… I wouldn’t ignore it,” he replied to his boss.  
Ingrid just sighed and went to the car. Thomas was rooted to the place as he watched the pathologist work.  
“Let’s see the body,” Fischer suggested and started walking towards Bosnoyan.  
Thomas almost automatically followed him. Just as they approached the victim, small drops of rain began to descent from the sky. One glimpse at the young boy’s mutilated frame ensured La Cour that he would not be able to get much sleep following night either. He heard Fischer muttering under his breath one word - “Jesus”. The view certainly wasn’t for people with weak stomach. To some degree he admired Bosnoyan’s professionalism and ability to calmly perform his duty. The doctor didn’t even spare them a glance.  
“He was beaten up post-mortem with some heavy metal tool. Face is almost unrecognizable. A boy age 7 to 9. Raped, then strangled.” He explained slowly taking off his rubber gloves.  
“Why beat him after death?” Alan questioned as he put on a hood over his head.  
“He felt guilty,” Thomas replied, his voice harsh. “He wanted to forget, eradicate the crime he’s committed.”  
“Sick fucker,” Fisher muttered. “I’ll check with Ingrid if we have any match on boy’s identity.”  
Alan left and La Cour also felt a need to make a move. He walked to the place the body was found. He tried to focus and evoke his hyper-sensitive senses, but nothing was coming to him. Still the thoughts about Fisher were polluting his mind, like a spreading disease. Though even if he could get any vision now, he knew something was off there. This wasn’t the feeling he had had at the first crime scene. The brutality of the killer also didn’t match the profile he created in his head. Only after a while he realized that the rain was much more forceful than in the beginning and wet strings of hair now stuck to his face. He walked back to where Ingrid and Fischer stood together.  
“We have a missing report on the boy around that age from yesterday evening,” the boss filled him in. “Once we have a positive match, Fisher would see the parents.”  
“I need photos from both crime scenes. I need some time alone with that,” he asked his boss and she nodded. He needed isolation to think. Just as the first thunder struck the sky, he felt his headache return.


	11. Chapter 11

Alan hated this part of the job the most. Normal good people suddenly struck by the loss so great, so meaningless and brutal that all they could do was crumble before him. The mother’s scream would haunt him for many nights. Her husband tried so hard to hold on and look manly in spite of the tragedy that Fisher could almost swear he was not aware of the stream of tears flowing down his cheeks. He himself was just the deliverer of bad news as it was impossible to question the parents in such state. He asked the father to come to the station next day and make a statement. He left the house feeling empty and in need of something strong to numb his mind. However, he couldn’t get shitfaced drunk when there was a child-murderer running loose in town. Again he thought about his own son who stayed safe with his mother. It was much better that way, his life was far too violent for a kid to see. He got back to their office to check if they have anything new. Ingrid was at the morgue with Bosnoyan trying to get as much as they can from the mutilated body of the boy. IP looked as if he didn’t get a wink of sleep. Apparently that case was affecting everyone.   
“We got the list of workers from the construction company. I checked it against the database,” IP sighed with despair. “A few people charged with minor offences. No child abusers.”  
Fisher cursed under his breath.  
“What about the files that we got from the police?” he enquired.  
“I’m going through them once again, now that we have names and photos. But it will take a while.”  
He nodded and took a look at IP’s desk. It seemed as if he hadn’t even manage to check half of his files. Then there was a huge pile of files on La Cour’s desk.  
“I’ll help you ,” he offered and sat by Thomas’ desk. This task was tedious, but he actually welcomed it. Lately there was too many things happening around him that he couldn’t make sense of so a little time to think was good. He opened the first folder and compared the content with the document sheet he got from the construction company. He tried to stay focused on the task, however by the fourth folder his thoughts drifted to Thomas and his strange behaviour. It was truth that the man wasn’t sleeping well lately. No one from the team got much of the sleep when a case like that was still not solved. That was one of the reason why Alan needed his drinks and why he didn’t shy from hooking up with willing women. Anything just to dull the memories of brutally murdered children and their exasperated parents. La Cour though didn’t have the luxury of letting go. His mind was more complex and more vulnerable. He didn’t just saw the crime scene, he experienced it with his whole mind like it was he who was a victim. Fischer tried to make Thomas forget by being a goofy friend cracking silly jokes and by sharing a drink once in awhile. But since they’d started living together, something in their relationship had shifted. Thomas seemed to be always on edge. His vile comment that morning, his out of the blue kiss… That was a little bit too much for Alan to process, let alone figure out the best reaction. When the ash of the cigarette he was keeping in his mouth fell on the files he had in front of him, he realized he’d been staring at the same page for ages. Damn.  
“Enough,” he said closing the file and standing up.  
IP raised a brow at him from above his documents.  
“I’m taking the files and let La Cour get a look. He’s good at this. I can punch someone in the face,” he explained with the cocky smile. If Gaby was there she would surely answer him with a sunny smile. IP’s face however was more irritated than happy.  
“Sure, leave the old man with old papers,” he murmured with faked resentment.  
Alan genuinely smiled, took a heavy pile from the desk and left their office. He was not sure why he felt this sudden urgency to go home. Bringing files to La Cour almost seemed like an excuse to see the man. Maybe it was today’s morning quarrel. Fischer somehow feel the need to set things straight with his friend. He pulled the car in front of their apartment. It was afternoon but it was quite gloomy. The rain was lazily dripping from the sky. He entered the building and climbed the stairs fast carrying heavy folders with him. When he opened the door of their flat, he was met with total silenced. It seemed Thomas was not home and Alan couldn’t quite explain the disappointment he felt. He took off his shoes and coat and entered the living room. He was almost startled with the view of La Cour sitting crossed legged on the floor with his eyes fixed on the photos that were sprawled all over the place. It looked chaotic but Alan knew that his friend saw a pattern somewhere there. Even if Fischer wanted to detach himself from the case they were trying to solve, the sight of all this horror captured on pictures made it all come back. Thomas was motionless, his eyes bored into the bloody crime scene and tiny dead bodies. He was trying to relive each murder, trying to get into the mind of a murderer and a victim at the same time.   
“La Cour…” Alan said quietly trying to break that strange spell.  
The man in question didn’t seem to hear him or he chose to ignore his presence. Fischer took a couple of steps towards the man and put the files on the floor covering some of the photos.  
“We got the details from the construction company, I thought you might like to check it,” he spoke standing behind his colleague. Thomas didn’t turn around or look up at him, he seemed to be buried deep in his own mind.  
“Dammit, La Cour!” the younger man was pissed off .  
He grabbed Thomas head in his hands and brought his face up so the man would finally look at him. It wasn’t the best conversation position with him bent over and La Cour having to raise his chin so high, but dammit if the man would not listen to him.  
“You can’t do this to yourself!” Alan hissed. “Don’t force yourself to relive something you don’t want to relive.”  
“I’m fine,” Thomas finally spoke up with the harsh voice.  
It looked like he hadn’t left this spot for quite some time and his throat was dry.   
“Take a break. Look at the files I brought you,” Alan didn’t give up. “Just don’t push yourself so much.”  
La Cour’s eyes were becoming more and more focused on his face and he knew his friend was coming out of the trance he put himself in. The clairvoyant blinked heavily few times.  
“Sorry, I just lost track of time…”  
Fischer smiled. Thomas could sometimes be so adorable. He straightened up.  
“I’m gonna get you some water and food, alright?”   
“Fischer…” his friend stopped him. “I’m sorry about this morning. I just… I don’t sleep very well… I know it’s not an excuse…”  
He mumbled his apology.   
“‘S okay,” Alan whispered as if afraid to talk louder.  
He was about to go to the kitchen but he hesitated. He bent once again over the man, raised his chin with his hand and planted a clumsy upside down kiss on his mouth as if this was the most natural thing to do after their conversation. The kiss was very brief, their lips met only for a second but it was comforting and sweet for Fischer. La Cour’s face on the other hand expressed utter shock. After they parted, Alan once again straightened up and smiled lazily. For some unknown reason it felt good. He didn’t want to ponder on why he did this gesture, it was a spur of the moment. He turned around and left for the kitchen. Thomas sat there still with his head raised and mouth open, breathing heavily, a million thoughts running through his head. His life suddenly became more and more complicated.


End file.
